Someone Special (Yang x Male Reader)
by SlinkyDog
Summary: You couldn't imagine how much your life would change after your closest friend, a student at Beacon, sends you a message one morning and says he'll be calling over. A bunch of stories about you and your relationship with Yang.
1. The Visit: Part 1

For a moment you wondered why it felt weird that your scroll had woken you up. You always had it set to wake you up so it's not like this was anything out of the ordinary. But as quickly as you were woken up you realized that it wasn't your alarm that had woken you up but instead somebody sending you a message. It was just gone nine o clock, three and half hours until your alarm was supposed to go off and another hour to go until your parents opened the shop downstairs. You knew the message wasn't from them, they usually just woke you up in person if they needed to.

You grabbed the scroll and to see who sent the message. You then felt a rush of excitement upon seeing it was from your friend Ivan. The two of you hadn't seen each other since he left to attend Beacon Academy. Communication with him was kept to minimum, usually just 'how are things going' and 'any news'. Ivan preferred talking in person as opposed to communicating via scroll. Without a further hesitation you played the message.

 _"Hey bud don't know if you're awake yet but just wanted to tell you I'll come by later when I'm finished classes today. Talk to you then."_

"It's about time he came over for a visit."

You knew the students of Beacon could head into Vale if they wanted to during their free time. It would have been foolish to assume Ivan would be visiting you every chance he got but you thought he would have at least once or twice by now. Whatever the reason you knew he would probably explain once he came over.

It wasn't all his fault though, you were hesitant to get in touch with him. You would never admit it to anybody but you were jealous of him. After you dropped out of combat school that meant the end of any chance you had of becoming a huntsman and it became hard not to become envious of him in the slightest. Ivan was just as upset as you were when you decided to drop out, it was hard to tell which one of you was more excited about the idea of being a team of huntsmen together. But both of you had to accept that that had no chance of happening, Ivan continued with his training and you had to find something else to do with your life.

Right now that something else was working the shop with your parents every now and again. You knew both your parents weren't too thrilled when you wanted to become a huntsman, not that they were against it, they just preferred the thought of you doing something safer. The shop itself was run by your family for generations and, in keeping with tradition, you would be given the shop when you were older.

Going back to bed now seemed pointless, the small rush of excitement you felt from getting Ivan's message was enough to wake you fully.

"What am I gonna do now ?" you said to yourself before a thought immediately came to mind. The last time you chatted with Ivan he mentioned that him and his team would be going on a mission soon. When you began combat school both of you began working on a weapon that you would have used, you even started construction on it. Right now it was put away in a chest in your room. You always thought it was a shame that you never even bothered to finish it, but maybe Ivan could get some use from it. You could easily finish it in the next week or so if you could get the parts needed.

You got dressed and decided to go out and find the parts you needed.

 _Hours later._

For a good part of the day you were in your room. Your search for parts earlier hadn't gone as well as you hoped. Several things you needed weren't available but fortunately would be in again in the next day or two. If the weapon was to be ready by the time Ivan would be going on his mission then you would need to spend most of your time working on it.

You heard knocking on your door. It could only be one person. Opening the door you were greeted by the smiling face of Ivan. Not much had changed since you last saw him. His black hair was cut shorter than he normally used to have it. You were still slightly taller than he was.

"Miss me bud ?" he asked.

"Miss seeing your ugly face? Not a chance." You mocked.

"Aww that hurts."

You laughed at his comment and move out of the way to let him in. Both of make your way to the kitchen and take a seat at the table after grabbing something to drink from the fridge.

"So you're enjoying yourself at Beacon?"

"You won't believe some of the stories I have. I've been trying to do one of our old tricks for a while."

"Which one ?"

"The one where we stack all the beds in a room on top of one another."

You couldn't help but laugh.

"You haven't been able to do it once? I thought you were better."

"I can't get into any of the rooms when they're empty. Owen and I tried to get into some rooms through the windows and that went about as well as you think."

"You're losing your touch. How's training going ?"

"A lot tougher than it was in combat school. Working with a team is pretty cool though."

"When are you going out on your mission ?"

"The week after next."

"That'll give me time."

"For what ?"

"I decided to finish Turraing Tonn. I figured you might get some use from it. If you want to take it."

"You want to give me your weapon ?" he asked surprised.

"I never finished and used it so it's not really mine. It would be a shame if I didn't finish what I started and it's not like I'm ever gonna get any use from it. I can get it finished before you go."

"Are you sure? You were pretty excited when you came up with it and couldn't wait until you could use it."

"That's all gone now. Just consider it my own way of being a part of your team."

The moments silence between both of you was all you needed to know that Ivan would take it before he spoke again, changing the subject.

"Actually you just reminded me why I'm really here. Before we leave Beacon is having dance and we're allowed a plus one. It seems like it'll be fun night and you can stay overnight in my teams dorm."

"Doesn't your room only have four beds ?"

"We'll sort something out."

"Besides that, I don't think I'd enjoy myself too much at a dance."

"You've never been to one."

"Like I said, I don't think I'd enjoy myself at one. Too many people."

"That should be a reason to go, you could make some new friends, which isn't a bad thing."

"I know it's not a bad thing but ..."

"Then what's the problem? We haven't done anything together since I started at Beacon and I really want you to meet my teammates."

You thought about arguing further with him but in the end you knew it would be pointless. Ivan wasn't trying to force you into doing something you didn't like. He just wanted you to do something he thought you might enjoy.

"You're not gonna stop until I say yes." you sighed.

"You know me too well. Besides what if I don't make it back from my mission." Ivan joked.

The next week flew by quickly, mostly because you became so engrossed in completing the weapon for Ivan. You were able to finish it just a few hours before you were expecting him to arrive. He was in the city getting his suit for the dance and once that was done he would meet up with you at your house and you would head back to Beacon with him.

The trip to Beacon seemed to go by quickly. As both you and Ivan exit the airship, with you carrying the weapon, you notice the abundance of students around. You saw that some were in different uniforms while others were in their normal clothes.

"They're here for the Vytal Festival." Ivan said noticing you.

"I forgot it was being held in Vale."

"You forgot." he replied to your comment, pretending to be shocked in a joking manner. "But then that means you wouldn't have been there to cheer me in the fighting tournament."

Both of you continued to walk, with the weapon occasionally drawing the attention of students. It was understandable, Turraing Tonn was a huge weapon, essentially a portable cannon. Most huntsmen and huntresses using weapons that are big were melee fighters, at least that's what you had always seen. You had wanted to make something ranged that would deal massive damage, feeling that type of combat would suit you best.

For moment you continue walking forward forward, not paying attention to any of your surroundings. Ivan tapped you on your shoulder to let you know that you were heading in the wrong direction. You were about to walk into the main building, while the dorms were in another direction.

You finally reach the dorm room and upon entering you were surprised to see that wasn't very big, with a good amount of space taken up by everyone's bed. On one of those beds was Owen, you had heard about him from Ivan more than noticed both of you almost immediately and just as quickly his attention was drawn to Turraing Tonn.

"Holy crap that's huge !" he almost shouted.

"Yeah. Can only imagine what Ruby's reaction will be when she sees it."

"You have to use it next time you doing a practice match."

Ivan lit up at the thought of this.

"You must (Y/N). I'm Owen." he greeted.

"Nice to meet you. Ivan told me about you."

"Where's Nima and Deena ?" Ivan asked.

"Haven't seen them all day but I did get a message from Nima saying they'll see us later tonight."

You remove your arm from Turraing Tonn and place the weapon on the ground.

"Maybe we should have stopped by my locker first."Ivan commented. "I'll do it later."

"So how are we gonna sort out the sleeping arrangements ?" Owen asked. You noticed a suitable spot where the wall wasn't obscured by anything next to where you were standing.

"I'll sleep against the wall here."

"No." Ivan protested. "You're not sleeping against the wall."

"We might be able to make space on the floor if we stack our beds on top of one another. I don't mind sleeping on floor." Owen said.

"Neither do I."

"You don't have to. I'll be fine sleeping against the wall." you tried to convince them.

"Forget it we've both decided now give us a hand."

It wasn't long until it was time for the dance. The three of you were dressed for it quickly. Throughout the day you were growing increasingly nervous and by now it had reached its peak. You knew Ivan probably wasn't going stay with you the entire night and it wouldn't be right for you to make him. You already planned to find yourself a place to sit down, preferably alone, if it happens.

As you enter the ballroom the three of you are greeted by a blonde haired girl.

"Where's the rest of your team ?" she asked.

"Out all day. I thought they'd be here before us but I guess not." Ivan replied.

"You've done great job organizing this Yang." Owen said as he looked around.

"Thanks. Weiss was a bit of a pain to work with but in the end it all worked out."

You didn't pay much attention to them talking, instead you just stared blankly at the ballroom. There was a good crowd already there but not so much that you would say the place is crowded. You, Ivan and Owen had arrived relatively early so you assumed that there would be plenty more people would be arriving soon.

"Is this your friend that you were talking about ?" you heard Yang ask. You turned your attention to her.

"Yeah this is (Y/N)." Ivan replied.

"Hi." was all you said.

"I'm Yang." she introduced. "Nice to meet you. Ivan was talking about you coming over for the last week and about some of stuff you used to get up to. "

You shudder at the thought of what stories he told her about, recalling times when your misadventures had ended badly for both you and Ivan.

"Just so you know Ivan dragged me into all them." you joked.

"Oh you're gonna betray me like that after I bring you over here." Ivan said sarcastically.  
Yang chuckled at this before speaking to you again.

"Well I hope you enjoy yourself tonight. Maybe I'll see you around when I get some time free."

"Thanks. " you replied. Before walking away with Ivan and Owen.

"I'm hoping I have a good time here myself." you muttered to yourself.

Unfortunately it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. Around half an hour earlier you were introduced to the remaining two members of Ivan's team. Their leader, Deena and Nima. Both were friendly towards you but for the most part you kept quiet. You listened, as best as you could with the music playing, to Ivan and his team talking with one another. Most of their conversation was about schoolwork and people you didn't know about. Occasionally you would try to bring yourself into the conversation, talking directly to Ivan in order to get him to bring up something that both of you could talk about. It only worked briefly and so you would go back to being quiet, making a brief comment every few minutes or so. There was one moment where a guy arrived in a dress where you laughed along with everyone else. For a while you believed that was the only highlight of your night.

After that Ivan and his team went out to the dance floor. For a handful of minutes you were with them, doing what you could only describe as making yourself look like a complete fool, despite your movements being rather minimal. Whether or not others found your 'dancing' as stupid as you did remained in question, you felt like you were making a fool of yourself and wanted an excuse to leave. That excuse came in the form of you having to go to the bathroom. Once you returned from it you found an empty table to sit down at. Ivan didn't seem to notice you were back so you decided to wait another few minutes before you go back, thinking you could give the excuse that you got lost.

You were hoping the dance would be over soon. Knowing Ivan he would want to stay to the very end, something you never yourself doing unless you were really enjoying yourself. By now you were bored, having done everything that you were expecting yourself to do for the night. If you didn't have to spend the night at Beacon you would have gone home by now. While you were content with being by yourself for a while the sound of a familiar voice got your attention.

"All danced out ?" Yang asked taking a seat next to you.

"I just needed to sit down for a bit." you replied.

"Where's Ivan ?"

You looked over at the spot where you last saw him. He was still there, dancing with his team leader. You simply pointed at him.

"They look like they're enjoying themselves." she commented.

"Yeah. What about you ? Don't you have a date ?"

.  
"Nah I was too busy getting everything ready to bother with getting one. I can finally enjoy myself now that everyone is here."

"Well for what it's worth you did a great job. Everyone seems to be enjoying it."

"Everyone except you."

"I am enjoying myself."

That was something you had been saying a lot in recent years, usually at family gatherings when you had gotten bored and wanted to leave. You were usually asked 'are you ok' before. You usually assumed they knew you weren't given how quiet you usually were at these events.

"You don't seem to be, so I'm gonna change that."

You looked at her confused as she stood up from her seat and extended her hand towards you.

"Come on and dance with me."

When she said that you could feel your face turn red.

"I... I don't really know how to dance."

"Don't worry it's easy."

Before you tried to say something to convince her not to something stopped you from talking. Every time you returned from something that you didn't enjoy you often felt an urge to slap yourself. You never bothered to make any attempt to enjoy yourself and ended up regretting not doing so. You would just sit around and stay quiet. There was a part of you that didn't want to dance, worrying that you might make a fool of yourself. Normally that was the part you would listen to. But at that moment you didn't listen to it. You decided that this wouldn't be something you would look back on and regret.

You took her hand and stood up. Your heart began beating faster with a feeling of excitement and nervousness as you looked at her smiling face. In the few seconds it took for both of you to reach the dance floor you looked at the other couples to give yourself an idea of what to do. You placed your right hand on her waist and took her right hand in your left.

"It's easy. Just follow my lead." she said.

"Ok."

The two of you began swaying back and forth, keeping in rhythm with the music, following Yang's lead as she had told you. Initially you were worried about messing something up, such as stepping on her foot, but as the two of you proceeded that worry left. Your movements were simple, not going too far from the spot where you both started dancing.

There was no denying that you were enjoying this, you felt like you were about to enter a trance. You wanted this to last as long as possible so you began to fill your mind with thoughts about what time it was, remembering past experiences where doing such a thing made the passage of time feel like it slowed down. Everything was going well and suddenly you felt a rush of confidence and tried something that surprised even yourself. You raised your left arm and twirled Yang around. For a moment you thought that you were after messing up until you saw that she was laughing, clearly having enjoyed it. She then did the same thing with you.

"Now it looks like you're having fun." she remarked.

"Yeah. I'm starting to think I made the right choice coming here tonight."

For once you weren't lying.

"You're doing very good for someone who says he never danced before."

"Just following your lead like you said."

"Then how about one more dance ?"

You didn't hesitate. You didn't say a single word. You taking hold of her hand again was all the confirmation that she needed.

That 'one more dance' kept on going until eventually the dance had to end for everybody. Needless to say you were upset that it did, but you did a good job at not letting it show. You were right about Ivan wanting to stay for the whole thing You spotted him at the door waiting for you, the rest of his team was nowhere to be seen, either they already had left or you just couldn't find them in the crowd. Yang went off with her team but not before letting you know that she enjoyed her time with you. You told her the same thing.

Once you met up with Ivan he flashed you a rather smug smile that said 'I told you so'.

"Ok you were right. I had great time."

He never said anything, he just started walking towards his dorm with you following in suit.

It was only when you reached the dorm that you realized how tired you really become. The rest of Ivan's team were there, already falling asleep. As you fell asleep all that was on your mind was Yang. You replayed every second over and over again, each time making the joyous feeling you had grow more and more.

In the morning you would have to go back home. Initially you were going to leave first thing in the morning but Ivan had convinced you to stay for breakfast earlier. It wasn't something you initially wanted to do but now you realized what this meant, you could see Yang one more time before you left Beacon. Even if it was just for a minute.


	2. The Visit: Part 2

The floor in Ivan's dorm was, to your surprise, rather comfortable to sleep on. Maybe it was because you felt so good from the night before that it didn't matter or that you just tired. Whatever the reason was you slept well.

"Morning." you said to Ivan, noticing that he was already up and dressed.

"Sleep well ?" he asked as you sat up and stretched your arms.

"As well as I could sleeping on the floor."

"It's surprisingly comfortable." he remarked. " Well, as comfortable as a floor can get."

"What time is it ?" you asked.

"Nearly ten AM"

"It feels weird to be up this early. I'm usually up at about half twelve."

"Good god what time do you normally go to bed at ?" he asked surprised.

"About half four in the morning."

"You need to start going to bed earlier."

"I'll start going to bed earlier when I have to get up earlier."

"You hungry ? " Ivan asked. "We can still make breakfast if we go now.

"What about the rest of your team ?"

"Unless we have classes they'd rather sleep in."

"Ok. I'll probably just have something small."

"Don't tell me your gonna leave straight after you have something to eat."

"Maybe."

"Oh come on. I never even got to show you around the place. You're not gonna say goodbye to the others. What about Yang ? Are you not even gonna say goodbye to her ?"

The mention of her name caused you to smile a bit, the memory of your time with her last night still bringing you a feeling of joy. Before you went to sleep you had thought you might get to see her again before you left. But now that rush of confidence you had felt when you were dancing with her was gone, leaving you unsure of what you were gonna say if you did see her. It seemed stupid to find her if all you could say is goodbye and nothing else.

"I doubt she wants to be bothered by some guy she danced with."

"Yeah if you look at it like that."

You weren't paying much attention to him, instead focusing on getting dressed and getting your stuff together. After that the two of you left for breakfast. Despite his protests you managed to convince Ivan that you were leaving after you had some thing to eat. You follow him to a large dining hall. True to your word you only took something small to eat, just a few slices of toast to keep you going until you got home. The dining hall was rather quiet, with many vacant spaces. Ivan gestured you to follow him to a spot where there were already four people sitting. As you got closer you recognized one of them as the guy who showed up in a dress last night, the other three you assumed were his team. Ivan introduced them to you as team JNPR.

"I take it the rest of team DINO aren't up yet." Jaune asked Ivan.

"Yeah still asleep. Don't wanna repeat of last time."

"Good to see you've learned your lesson since then." Pyrrha commented.

"What happened last time ?" you asked your friend.

"I was up before the rest of my team and Nima got mad at me." Ivan responded quickly, clearly not telling the whole story. It was almost as if he had briefly forgotten you were there. You quickly turned to team JNPR to get the whole story from them.

"Ok what's he leaving out ?"

"She hung him by the legs out the window !" the girl you were introduced to as Nora almost shouted out. "Their room is above ours so we saw the whole thing." she continued before going into a fit of laughter.

You got the mental image of Ivan being hung out the window like that and soon you were laughing as well, although not as loud as Nora. Ivan looked away with embarrassment before speaking.

"The other two said they'd do much worse if I woke them up again and it wasn't for an emergency or we were late for class."

You continued laughing.

"Oh I wish I could have seen that. Any other stories I should know ?"

"Nope." Nora replied

"Thank goodness." Ivan said.

"Then I guess its my turn to share a story and trust me I've got plenty."

"Tell me !" Nora said leaning in enthusiastically towards you, only to be pulled back by Ren. Ivan looked away from you.

"Has he ever told you about the first time both of us had alcohol?"

There was a collective no from everyone.

"You would pick this one wouldn't you ?" Ivan said.

"This was about two years ago. His brother was moving to Atlas for his new job so his Mom and Dad were having a going away party for him and invited some friends and family. Since there was so many people they rented the function room of a nearby bar. The two of us are just sitting there talking for the most part and halfway through the night his brother comes up and gives us each a bottle of beer. We start drinking and the beer is one of the most horrible things I've tasted in my life but both of us manage to finish. Ivan then gets the brilliant idea to ask his brother to get us more. Which he does. Ivan gets about halfway through his second before he's off his head."

"You're making it sound like you weren't drunk that night."

"Yes I was but I at least finished my second bottle and most importantly I wasn't found naked and passed out in the woman's bathroom."

Everyone, except for Ren who came off to you as the quiet type, erupted in laughter, yourself included. Nora's laughter eclipsed all of you and continued for a while after everyone else stopped. You looked back at Ivan.

"Maybe I will stay here a bit longer this is fun." you mocked. The look on Ivan's face made it clear that he now considered you staying for longer a bad idea. You were only saying this to mess with him.

"So how long have the two of you been friends ?" you heard Pyrrha ask. Ivan was the one who responded.

"Since we were about five years old. We've been the best of friends ever since."

"It must suck that the two of aren't in Beacon together." Jaune commented.

Your heart must have skipped a beat when you heard that. You had been lucky to go so far without anyone bringing up the fact you weren't a hunter in training. But ow it seemed like wishful thinking that you could go your short time at Beacon without it coming up. It seemed like Ivan was hoping the same thing as he had a look on his face that suggested he had a similar reaction to you.

"Yeah it does but things like that happen I guess." you said quietly.

"I take it becoming a huntsman didn't interest you." Pyrrha said.

"Oh no. I went to combat school for a while with Ivan but my family wouldn't be able to afford to send me there after the first year so I had to drop out."

That was a lie. You had already decided that would be your excuse should the subject of you dropping out of combat school came up. You knew Ivan wouldn't tell anyone the truth and now it seemed like he never mentioned that you even went to combat school, something you were mentally thanking him for. The way you saw it there were two reactions to it. The first would be where someone says something along the lines of 'that's too bad' and nothing else. But you would worry that secretly they might be judging you, looking down on you for giving up, which you did to yourself sometimes. The other would be sympathy, feeling bad that you gave up on your dream, telling you things that meant well but really did nothing to make you feel any better. Neither one you wanted to hear so you figured saying that it was monetary reasons that caused you to quit was a better option.

You opted to finish your breakfast quickly after that so you could leave soon and avoid the possibility of anymore uncomfortable talk. Ivan made you wait until he finished his so he could see you off.

"Thanks for bringing me up here. I really did have a great time." you said to your friend while both of you walked.

"And you didn't want to go at first." he teased. "It was good to finally meet up after so long. I'm sorry I never visited you until recently."

"Don't be."

"No. I've been so caught up with school and spending time with my team and new friends I never did anything with my best friend."

"Things like that just happen. I'm not expecting you to come over every day when you're finished school."

"Still things aren't the same without you. I always imagined us on a team together. "

"I know. You never shut up about it when we started combat school. There's nothing I want more than to be studying here to become a huntsman but that's not gonna happen."

"I kept thinking maybe there was some way to get you in here." Ivan looked around to make sure nobody could hear what he was about to say next, as if he was ashamed of himself for what he was going to say. "I even thought about getting some fake transcripts so you could come here."

"Ivan." you almost scolded him.

"I know, I know. You wouldn't agree to it. It was just a thought I had a while back."

"Lets just forget about it ok ? Doing something like that is not you."

"Yeah. Anyway I was thinking maybe after I come back from my mission I'll come by for a visit."

"Sounds good to me. Don't forget the Vytal festival. I'll be right there cheering on team DINO."

"Why do I get the feeling you want to see something stupid to happen to me when I'm fighting ?"

"I would never want to see something like that happen to you ?" you said in a joking tone.

"Even before the Vytal festival I was thinking maybe I could sneak you in here for a night. Maybe even sneak in a bottle of whiskey."

"Haven't you learned anything from the last time you had alcohol, which is also the only time you had alcohol."

"We'd be sharing the bottle with the rest of my team. Besides I'm older now so I could probably handle it better."

"Great logic you have there." you said with clear sarcasm.

"But what do ya say ? It could be fun, assuming none of the teachers find out. Plus you could get to see Yang again."

You turned away from him when he said that, thinking your face might turn red, which it did but you were able to stop it assumed Ivan probably knew your face did turn red from your reaction but you thought it would be better than letting him see your face. Hearing him chuckle only confirmed your thoughts.

"I still think you should've said goodbye to her."

"Please don't try to guilt trip me I'll probably end up kicking myself later."

"Maybe you don't have to." a voice that definitely wasn't Ivan's said to you. Immediately you recognised it as Yang's. She was walking away from three other girls towards you, two you recognised as Weiss and Blake as she had introduced you to them last night. The third you assumed was her sister Ruby who seemed to disappear from the dance so you never got a chance to meet her.

You felt Ivan nudge you forwards.

"Don't worry you still got time before the airship leaves." he said to you quietly before walking away so you both you and her could talk without him hearing. Your heart began beating faster from nervousness.

"So my date thinks he can leave without saying goodbye."

You blushed at the thought of being her date. You had never thought of yourself as her date, merely someone she wanted to dance with.

"Did you hear much ?"you asked her.

"Just the part where you said you'd kick yourself for not saying goodbye."

"I just thought you wouldn't want to be bothered."

"Well it wouldn't of been a bother at all."

"Then sorry that I didn't."

"Don't be we get to say goodbye now."

All of a sudden you found yourself not wanting to leave. You wanted to stay just that little bit longer just so you could be with Yang. But another part of you was telling you to go back home for whatever reason you could make up on the spot if you were asked. You had also made it clear that you were going home and if you were to stay you would feel awkward for what was probably the stupidest reasons to you and anybody else. You just had to make the best of what was probably going to be the last time you see Yang for a long time, or even the rest of your life.

"I had a great time last night. If you didn't come along I would have just been sitting down for the night just waiting for everything to end. So thank you."

She smiled at you.

"Don't mention it. I had great time too. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

"I'll be at the Vytal festival so maybe I'll see you there."

"I was thinking sooner than that." she said, giving you a wink before walking off with the rest of her team. "Bye."

You were momentarily stunned by what she said

"Yeah bye." you reply to her so quietly that she probably didn't hear you.

 _"Does she want to go on a date ?"_ you ask yourself.


	3. First Date

Normally when you were working the cash register time seemed to just drag on but today seemed to be an exception. It felt like only minutes ago you started and now all of a sudden there was only half an hour before your shift ended. Thankfully the shop was quiet in that last half hour, with only one customer. That customer in question was a regular, Mrs Greene, an elderly woman in her late 50s that lived not too far from the shop. You knew her your entire life, both your mom and dad being friendly with her and she came over to the shop at least once a week. You weren't paying much attention to her while she was browsing. In fact you seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she was even there, evidenced by the fact that you were singing loud enough for her to hear you.

"... and suddenly we start to smile. The sun is out for a while..."

"Ah you've a lovely voice (y/n)." Mrs Greene said as she approached the register.

"It sounds much better in my head." you remark as you take her items and scan them.

"Did you have a good time at the dance ?"

"I had a fantastic time."

"That's good to hear. How's your friend Ivan doing ?"

"Doing good. He's been on a mission with his team since the start of the week. I'm not sure if he's back or not. Heck I don't even know where he went."

"I hope he's ok."

"He'll be fine. First years have to be accompanied by a huntsman or huntress."

"And would you like to be out doing what they're doing now?"

"Yeah." you replied rather sullenly. You finish scanning her items and take her money.

"I couldn't imagine doing anything like that. I say I'd be terrified if any of my sons had told me they wanted to become a huntsman. Still fair play to the ones that stopped the Grimm the other morning."

You remember watching the news report on that incident. One thing in particular stood out to you and that was that you had seen Yang along with her team and tea JNPR dealing with the Grimm. That wasn't too long after you came home from your time at Beacon. Yang was on your mind a lot since then, in particular what she had said before you left. Part of you just dismissed it as a bit of playful flirting, but another part wanted to believe that she was genuinely interested in meeting up with you. No one had ever flirted with you before so it was hard to tell which was true.

"Tell you parents I said hello." Mrs Greene says before leaving.

"Will do."

Once again the shop was quiet, save for the low humming noise that was coming from the fridge. Slowly your mind began to drift off again but this was short lived as your dad entered the shop from the house.

"(y/n) you can finish up." he said noticing the lack of customers.

"Are you sure ?"

"The shop is gonna close up in about twenty minutes and hardly anyone comes in at this time so you might as well."

"Ok. I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Dinner will be ready soon."

"Just leave it out for me. I'll heat it up if I have to." you said as your hands dipped into your pockets to confirm that you had both your scroll and key were there. "Talk to you in a bit."

Going for a walk was something you made sure to do on a daily basis, even if it was just for a couple of minutes. It was one of those rare things you enjoyed being on your own for and often tried to find ways to make it go on for longer, whether it was just simply walking slower or going back home a different way. No matter what it would always calm you down.

Your usual path takes you down by the waterway. You've taken this path so many times that you barely pay much attention to what's going on around you until you have to cross the street or have to move out of the way of someone. Once you reach the waterway you walk alongside it. In the opposite of direction you walk the waterway leads up to the docks that are at Beacon, although its still a good distance away.

Not much goes on around you. Cars pass by occasionally and you hear snippets of conversation from people you walk past. After what had been a rather warm day the sun was now beginning to set and you feel a cool breeze go by. A vacant bench catches your eye and immediately you sat down on it.

After you were sitting for several minutes you got a call on your scroll. It was from an unknown caller.

"Hello ?"

"Hey cutie."

You almost jump out of your seat with excitement after hearing Yang's voice. Not in a million years were you expecting it to be her.

"Yang ? How did you get my number ?"

"I got it from Ivan."

"Oh yeah. Stupid question."

You heard a laugh come from her through your scroll.

"You remember last time we talked right ?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to meet up this Friday. Just the two of us."

You felt the urge to shout out yes at the top of your voice but managed to subdue yourself from doing so. Still there was no hiding the eagerness in your voice when you replied to her.

"Yes. Definitely. Where do you want to meet ?"

"Do you know a place called Triskel's cafe ?"

"Yeah. That's not too far from where I live."

"Meet me there Friday afternoon. I'll let you know when I'm on my way in."

"Ok. I'll see you then."

"See you then."

You were full on disbelief once she hung up. Yang actually wanted to meet up with you. A smile formed on your face.

Friday couldn't have come fast enough. It hadn't even been two days since Yang called yet the day before you were both meant to meet up seemed to just drag on. This was because you decided to work the shop for the whole day, giving you an excuse to skip working there on Friday. You had told your parents that you would be meeting up with Ivan and his team, thinking they'd just be bothering you with questions if you told them about Yang.

To say were nervous would have been an understatement. You were looking forward to it but you were also somewhat scared. You worried about what you were going to talk about with her. You worked in your families shop, which was nothing compared to the exciting life that a hunter or huntress probably considered the only exciting thing that ever happened to you was when you got your drivers license. You wanted things to go well with her and were worried that she might find your life too uninteresting. All you could do was hope that things would go well.

You probably spent more time than necessary getting ready. You were in the shower for longer than usual and you tried to decide what to wear the moment you were out instead of the night before like you should have. Once Yang sent you the message letting you know she was on her way you were out the door, making sure you had your scroll, key and wallet.

Triskel's cafe was about a half hours walk from your house. You passed it every now and again when you were out on your walks but you've never been in there once. You looked inside when you arrived, no sign of Yang.

"Must not have arrived yet." you muttered to yourself.

You sat down at one of the free outdoor tables while you waited for her, but not before taking a look at the menu. Quickly you scanned all directions to see if she was arriving, still no sign. Your eyes were then drawn to a performer on the street playing on drums. While his music wasn't the best, just average music one would normally expect from a street performer, you still found it worth listening to just to pass the time until Yang arrived.

Nerves were beginning to get to you again.

 _"Just calm down."_ you told yourself. It didn't do much. No matter what you told yourself there was always that one part of you that kept saying that this wasn't going to go well and that was the only thing that seemed to get through.

Once again you scanned the around for her and sure enough you spot her approaching.

 _"No backing out now."_

Your heart began beating faster, your nerves were getting stronger.

 _"Don't panic everything will be fine."_

"Hey there. Were you waiting long ?" Yang asked.

"No. I only got here a few minutes ago."

"Mind if we sit inside ?"

"Not at all." you reply, standing up to follow her inside.

Inside there was no shortage of free spaces . Yang spotted a place for two in the corner and directed you towards it. You both sat down and gave the waiter your orders rather quickly.

"Ever been here before ?" Yang asked.

"No. I walk past here every now and again but I've never been inside. What about you ?"

"I've been here a few times with my team."

For a several seconds there was silence between the two of you until you broke it.

"I saw you and your team on the news."

"You did ?" Yang asked sounding surprised.

"When all those Grimm got into the city. The reports were showing footage of the whole thing."

"We pretty much went to bed straight after that. It was a long day."

"Well from what I saw I'd it was a rest well earned."

"Thanks." she replied, smiling at your comment.

The silence returned again. This time it went on for longer than previously. You were starting to feel awkward, whether or not Yang was feeling the same you couldn't tell, she had a smile on her face that hadn't disappeared since she arrived. Desperately you tried to think of something to say. However you also wanted to choose your words carefully, worrying that one wrong move might alienate her from you.

 _"Think of something. Tell her a funny story. Ask her about school. Heck ask her why she wanted to meet up with you."_

"Don't worry so much." Yang spoke, noticing that you were in a stupor.

"Sorry." you replied embarrassed. "I've never been out with someone like this before."

Yang placed a reassuring hand on yours.

"I haven't either. Don't worry about it. "

To your surprise this helped a little. Maybe it was because you needed to hear it from her, or maybe it was the upbeat attitude Yang seemed to constantly have.

"So where did you live before you started at Beacon ?" you asked.

"Patch."

"That means you probably went to Signal Academy."

Yang nodded at this.

"My dad and uncle are both teachers there."

"Did you always want to be a huntress ?"

"For as long as I can remember. Going around the world and getting caught up in as many adventures always felt right to me. "

Suddenly you realized that you had just opened things up for her to ask you about something that you would rather avoid, your short time as a hunter in training. Thinking quickly you made the decision to keep the conversation focused on her. Remembering Ivan telling you about the initiation for first years at Beacon you asked Yang what it was like for her. This worked, Yang recounted the whole thing to you, it was helped by the arrival of your food. Both of you were relatively quiet while you ate, with the occasional comment about the quality of the food itself.

"I take it you and your team will be taking part in the fighting tournament at the Vytal Festival."

"Oh yeah." Yang replied eagerly "I can't wait. After everything that's happened I think we're more than ready for it."

"I've never been to the Vytal festival before. It looks like it'll be a good time. Fighting in the tournament looks like it'd be fun as well."

"Have you ever fought before ?"

"When we were little kids Ivan got into fights every now and again with bullies at school. I jumped in there if he was ever going up against more than one. But other than a bit of sparring at combat school I've never been in a proper fight."

You mentally hit yourself. Once again you had unintentionally brought up the thing you wanted to avoid. However Yang never asked. She knew that you had dropped out of combat school yet she never brought it up. Instead she kept the conversation on the Vytal Festival. That continued until both of you finished up and decided to leave. When it came to paying for the meal you were already prepared. The moment you were both presented with the bill you had already pulled out some money that you had ready in your pocket and handed it over.

"Hey you don't have to pay. I asked you out." Yang claimed.

"I wouldn't feel right letting you pay. Besides the waiter's gone to get the change so it's too late."

Once the waiter returned with your change you both left. After that Yang suggested walking around for a while; there wasn't the slightest chance that you were going to say no. You lost track of time while you were walking, although it felt like a good bit of time had passed. Your attention was kept solely on Yang, almost drowning out everything around you to the point where it felt like the only other thing you heard besides Yang's voice was the sound of your footsteps.

It was hard not to enjoy every second you were with Yang. She had an air of positivity around her that was definitely having an effect on you. Any worries you had earlier seemed to have just disappeared. You were more comfortable around her, although you were still rather reluctant to talk about your life working at the shop.

Unfortunately things had to inevitably come to an end. Yang had to head back to Beacon and it would have been foolish to expect a simple meet up to last the whole day. As you both walked to the airship Yang recounted to you about a personal mission she went on before she started at Beacon.

"Ok that sounds like it'd been hilarious to see." you said laughing. "That must've been some punch if it sent him flying across the room."

"There was no hard feelings though. Next time I went there they welcomed me back with open arms."

The airship came into view and both of you came to a stop.

"Actually maybe we should go there next time. I still haven't gotten my drink and it'll probably be fun to dance with you again. What do you think ?"

It took a second for you to answer. The day seemed like it couldn't have gotten any better but once Yang said 'next time' you felt your body almost tense up and your heart rate begin to increase..

"So there's going to be a next time ?" you asked rather shyly.

"Does this answer your question ?" Yang said before leaning in and giving you a kiss on the cheek. Even though it was quick you enjoyed every second. Once Yang moved away you could spot the slightest tint of red on her cheeks, nothing compared to how red yours were.

"I had a nice time today." she said.

"So did I."

"Then next week lets meet up again."

"Definitely. Whatever day suits you. I've no problem getting time off of work."

"Friday or Saturday. I'll let you know which day is better."

"Sounds good."

"It's a date then."

Yang boarded the airship but not before turning around and blowing a kiss at you. You stood at the same spot for a while after the airship was out of sight, still feeling the warmth on your cheek where she kissed you. The feeling of joy you felt from when you had danced with her at Beacon seemed like nothing compared to how you felt at that moment. You felt the urge to jump around and start doing cartwheels but you were able to control it, not wanting to make a scene, and instead walked home.


	4. New Horizons

Yang had insisted that both of you go to Junior's club on your second date. While you were somewhat reluctant on the idea of going to a club there was no place that came to mind where you could take her. Beforehand you met up with her at a nearby pizzeria for something to eat. Not much was said while there, just typical 'how are you ?' and a little catching up.

Only seconds after you both entered the club you were greeted with the last thing you expected, many guns aimed at both you and Yang. Yang didn't seem phased by this at all. You on the other hand nearly jumped on the spot in shock, feeling like you should put your hands up until you looked at Yang, letting you know there was no need to panic. This ended quickly though when you spotted a rather tall, black haired man, who you assumed was Junior ordering them to put their weapons away.

"What do you want this time Blondie ?" he asked Yang.

"Nothing this time. The two of us are just here to have some fun."

The man looked at you briefly, you gave an awkward 'hi' as he did.

"Well go somewhere else. You're both not old enough to be here anyway."

"Aww come on Junior. We're just going to have a few drinks and that's it. Besides do you really wanna argue with me ?"

If the look on Junior's face wa anything to go by then it was obvious that Yang had reminded him of something painful. You chuckled to yourself at this, remembering Yang telling you about the first time she came to the club.

"Fine." he said irritated before walking off. "Just don't break anything."

"Come on." Yang said taking you by the arm. "Lets get something to drink."

"Sounds good."

The club itself was heavily populated. As you both walked towards the bar you found yourself having to avoid walking into someone. You could feel the sound-waves from the music coursing through your body; you wondered if you would have to yell if you wanted to talk to Yang. Fortunately that didn't seem to be a problem. The bar was located a good enough distance from where the DJ was playing that you didn't have to raise your voice. Once you had your drinks you found a spot where you could both sit down next to each other. You couldn't help but notice that you both received some dirty looks from several people. Suddenly it appeared that when Yang referred to the people there as 'friends' she used that term loosely.

"So that was quite the greeting we got." you commented. "Talk about starting things off with a bang."

"More like starting things off with a Yang."

You laughed louder at her joke than most people would probably be proud to admit.

"Have you ever gone out clubbing before ?" you asked.

"Nope." Yang replied, shaking her head. "Have you ?"

"A few years ago Ivan wanted to go clubbing so he got us both fake ids. That didn't go over too well though. We probably could've gotten in but Ivan's voice was breaking so the bouncer could tell we weren't old enough."

Yang chuckled at your story.

"I think I still have my fake id somewhere. Actually that reminds me. I haven't spoken with him since I was at Beacon. Have you seen him around ?"

"Him and his team came back from their mission not too long after I got back from our first date."

"Is he ok ?"

Yang nodded.

"Good to know."

"You know a while back my sister caught him and Owen trying to sneak into someones dorm through the window."

You tried, and failed, to hold back your laughter.

"I think he told me about that. He's been trying to do a trick we used to do where we stack all the beds in a room on top of one another. But he hasn't been able to do it once."

"Sounds like you two were quite the troublemakers."

"Ivan was the troublemaker. I was a sweet and perfect little angel before he corrupted me." you joked. This time you both of shared a laugh together.

"Still." you continued. "I was a quiet kid. I still am. Not in a million years would I have come up with doing any of things we used to do."

"I can only imagine what you two would get up to if you were going to Beacon."

"Yeah." you replied nonchalantly, taking a sip from your drink.

For a moment you both stopped talking and took on the scene around. It was the typical scene you would expect to find at a club. People co-mingling, dancing to the music and just generally enjoying themselves. From the corner of your eye you spot a small group of people standing in close proximity to the bar. They appeared relatively young, most likely just a year or two older than both yourself and Yang. Three of guys in the group were clearly looking at Yang, whispering to one another. There was no doubt that they wanted to make a move on her. You shrugged it off. Yang didn't seem to notice and as long as you were near her neither of them would probably do anything.

"Hey are you ok ?" Yang asked

"Yeah. Why ?"

"You seemed out of it for a second."

"Sorry I didn't mean to."

"Just enjoying the scene ?"

"I guess. I've never really seen myself spending a Saturday night at a club."

"Well we don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I just thought we could have a fun time here."

"Oh no I didn't mean for it to sound like I don't want to be here. I just meant that coming to a place like this is probably something I would never do. Besides how bad of a time can I have if I'm with you ?"

Yang finished her drink and stood up from her seat. You could tell she wanted to go out on the dance floor. Not wanting to keep her waiting, you knocked back the rest of your drink and got up. Yang grabbed your hand and dragged you out to the dance floor.

You preferred slow dancing with Yang as opposed to dancing in the club with her. It wasn't as tiring as all the fast paced movements that the music in the club demanded. Another thing was that the dance floor in the club was too crowded, causing you to occasionally bump into another person. But they could hardly be considered problems. You still enjoyed dancing with Yang, even if your movements were coming off as clumsy to you or the others around. Yang didn't seem to be embarrassed by you being in her presence so what did it matter ?

After about a half hour or so of dancing you had to leave Yang for a few minutes. You tapped on her shoulder to get her to stop dancing.

"I gotta use the bathroom." you said, not loud enough for her to hear you over the music. You could just make out her asking what you just said while leaning in closer to you with her hand on her ear. You repeated yourself louder and this time she heard you, giving you a nod to let you know that she did.

Your trip to the bathroom took longer than you thought. It took a minute or two to find and then once inside it was packed so you were waiting for about another ten minutes.

Once back outside you spot the last thing you wanted to see. Someone was talking to Yang, clearly trying chat her up. You recognized him from earlier when you spotted him and his friends staring at Yang.

This got you worried. Yang's an attractive person, so going to place like a club meant that there would be people hitting on her, heck even back at Beacon she probably got hit on constantly. You had hoped that you being with her would be enough to stop something like this from happening. But that didn't discourage this one person. He probably had enough to drink for it deter him, or he just didn't care.

The worst possible outcomes rushed into your head. He could get violent with you; it had been years since you were in combat school and you weren't even sure if you could hold your own in a fight. His friends could come up and drag you away. Yang could even be impressed enough by him that she'd push you aside and leave with him. That last scenario seemed the worst. You even pictured it in your head. The two of them walking away, with Yang clutching his arm, a condescending smile on her face that said 'sorry but I found someone better', while he smugly looked back at you.

But as you drew closer you saw that Yang was feigning interest in whatever he was saying. You were able to make out her scanning the area for you. Once she spotted you a genuine smile appeared on her face as she lightly pushed him away, telling him something that was inaudible from where you were, and walked towards you, taking you by the arm again once she reached you. A part you felt compelled to flip the guy off as you both walked away.

"Sorry I was so long ."

"It's ok." she reassured, her usual upbeat demeanor still present. Clearly the whole thing didn't bother her. "That guy tried way too hard. He came up to me and asked if he could buy me a drink, after I said no he still stuck around and pretty much begging me for something. And I thought Jaune was too much of a try-hard whenever he asked out Weiss."

"I'm guessing he was drunk."

"Probably. Anyway lets forget about him."

Yang took you to another spot on the dance floor. Despite what could barely be considered an inconvenience the night was going well. You were probably dancing for about an hour before you realized that you were getting exhausted.

"Can't dance anymore ?" Yang asked.

"I just need minute."

While you caught your breath Yang continued dancing in front of you, lip synching thr lyrics to the song that was playing. Even if she was dancing to club music you could still see in her playful and carefree movements the same grace she had when you two were dancing at Beacon. She extended her hands and pulled you towards her as an invitation to dance once again, which you accepted without any hesitation. Throughout the whole thing you never stopped gazing into one anothers eyes,as you mimicked Yang's movements.

At that moment everything seemed to drift into oblivion. The club, all of its occupants, the music. All you focus on was Yang, moving closer to you with each of her movements, compelling you to do the same. Once you were close enough Yang wrapped her arms around your neck and pulled you in , closing the distance between her lips and yours. When they both made contact your heart jumped.

You happily returned the kiss once you had gotten over the initial shock, wrapping your arms around her waist. You felt a great sensation move through your entire body. Fireworks were going off in your head It was something strange, new, and you never knew you wanted in your life, and you wanted it to last forever.

The kiss of course had to end and for once you weren't upset that something so good had to of you were somewhat red after pulling away. At that moment nothing could bring you down because deep down something was telling you that this was just the beginning.

It was hard to tell how long you stood there, still holding onto one another after the kiss. The icing on the cake was when Yang nuzzled your neck and whispered to you.

"A great dancer and a great kisser."

Your kiss with Yang was stuck in your mind since that night. That amazing sensation of her lips against yours, the rush of excitement and joy you felt during every second of it showed no sign of dying down over the next few days, leaving you in a rather love struck state every now and again. Of course that didn't go unnoticed by some.

"Snap out of it." Ivan said while smacking the back of your head. You had zoned out while waiting in line at a supermarket. Your mom was baking cakes for the shop and had sent you out to get various food coloring that had run out at home. You apologized to the woman working the cash register, payed for your items and left, all while Ivan was recounting the mission he had left on with his team.

"So like I was saying. We were all running along the beach, firing at a pack of Beowolves that were chasing us and our ammo was running low. More members of the pack then came out and surrounded us. Just as they were about close in on us the ground beneath us caved in..."

"This story sounds like it's about to lose all credibility." you thought.

"... and that's when the C.H.U.D.s attacked us."

"And this is the point where I stop believing you."

"What ? I'm telling you that's what really happened. One hundred percent. No lie."

You gave your friend a look that told him you weren't buying anything he was saying.

"Ok fine it's not true. But can you blame me ? It was so boring. We were just sitting around the whole time."

"I think it's a good sign if things are boring for the people protecting the beach.

"You sound just like the huntsman we were shadowing." Ivan groaned.

"You poor thing. It must've been so hard for you to be sitting around all week..."

"Oh no do not play that card."

"Then don't complain that nothing happened on your mission."

"Fine." Ivan agreed before changing the subject."So. When are you meeting up with Yang again ?"

"Next Saturday."

"You gotta wait that long ? If I'd known that I would've planned something for us to do instead of meeting up for a while."

"Next time."

"I'm still gonna sneak you back into Beacon like I said last time we talked. Although I'll have to make sure Yang is gone for the night so you won't be off with her."

While Ivan talked you were busy thinking of future dates with Yang. Nothing that stood out was coming to mind, only meeting up either restaurants or cafes and then going for a walk like on your first date. There had to be other things.

"Maybe I could invite her over to my place and make dinner for her. Not too different but its a start. I'll have to make sure we have the place to ourselves."

"You know I can hear you right ?"

"Was I talking to myself aloud ?" you said, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah. So your parents don't know about you and Yang yet ?"

"No. I wanna keep things a secret for a while. I told them I've been meeting up with you and your team."

"Well from what I know I'm the only one at Beacon who knows about you two. Her team might know but other than them I doubt anyone else would know."

"We've only been on two dates so far."

"True. I can only imagine the reaction some of the students might have if they find out she was going out with y..."

Ivan abruptly stopped when he realized what he was about to say. He looked at you apologetically. You could tell easily he didn't mean any offense with his words.

"Sorry I didn't mean to..."

"It's ok."

"Look she has a lot friends back at Beacon and knowing the type of person she is it might come as a surprise to some that she's not going out with one of the guys at Beacon."

"Were you surprised ?"

"I was surprised how quickly she asked me for your number after you left. Besides it doesn't matter ok ? Yang likes you and that's what matters."

"Ok." you replied, not wanting to stay on the subject, something Ivan probably wanted just as much as you. "Wanna grab something to eat ?"

"Sure."

That night you found it hard to sleep. What both Ivan had unintentionally brought up earlier was not the first time such thoughts had come to mind. Yang was a thrillseeker and enjoys a life of excitement, something you yourself would like and,if you were a hunter, you could enjoy with her as well. But you weren't.

Since you were restless you decided to do some browsing. You took out your scroll and began searching. Starting with something standard.

 _Good restaurants for dates in Vale_

You look at the results. There are a few restaurants that aren't too far from where you live. Some of them a fairly pricey. Money wasn't too much of a problem. You were paid for working the shop and over the last few years you never really spent a lot so you didn't have to worry about it too much.

Still you knew that your dates couldn't just be meeting up at cafes and restaurants. You went back to your earlier idea of inviting Yang over and cooking her dinner. Immediately you stop searching and bring up Yang's number so you can ask her what her favorite meal is; only to stop when you catch a glimpse of the time.

 _"It's nearly 4am. Don't think she would appreciate me waking her up right now. It can wait. Besides I'll only be inviting her over if I have the place to myself."_ you said to yourself.

You went back to looking things up on your scroll. The next thing you brought was a list movies that were either currently playing in theaters or would be in over the coming weeks . A few action and adventure movies come up, definitely the type of movies Yang would probably enjoy. Sure seeing a movie wasn't the most original idea for a date but it was still something you both could enjoy.

You stared blankly at your scroll for a moment, pondering what to look up next. There had to be other things you could do for her than just taking her places.

 _Couples activities for thrill seekers_

"She might enjoy some of these. Assuming she hasn't done them already."

Some of the activities listed were a good few hours outside of the city. However you remembered that there was a lake-house where you could stay that wasn't too far from them. You could take Yang there for a weekend away. Of course since it was shared with your Moms' side of the family you would have make sure you picked a time where you could both be alone together.

You already began planning that weekend out even though it was in the far future.

"Actually if we're alone together then there's something I could do for her."

 _How to give foot rubs_

"She seems like she'd probably enjoy that."

From there on you looked at suggested articles that came up, each one becoming more and more racy. It was the title of one article that made you stop reading.

 _Ten terrific tricks of the tongue_

"Aaand I think that's enough."


	5. Heart to Heart: Part 1

Working in the heat was not a new experience for you. It was something you thought you'd gotten used to but this week seemed to be an exception. Before the week started you made arrangements with Yang to go out for dinner, you didn't settle on anywhere specific. Needless to say that was all you could think about. That proved to be a bother while you were working. You wanted time to go by faster so Saturday could come and you could be with Yang again. Since time seemed to move much more slower the heat got to you more, to the point where you could've sworn you saw it visibly distorting the air while you were working. This led to it becoming increasingly uncomfortable to stand in the same spot for hours, which led to you pacing around the shop many times during the day, usually stopping by the fridge to stand by it for a while until customers came in.

Around halfway through the week your plans for Saturday changed. Yang messaged you, inviting you to the beach. Before you could even reply, Ivan sent you a message saying essentially the same thing. As it turned out a lot of the students at Beacon were planning on going to the beach that day. You were still going on your date later on but now you'd also get to spend more time with Yang, even if both her team and Ivans' team were going to be there, along with others.

When the day came Ivan and his team visited about midday. Ivan wanted to buy a 24 pack of soda to bring to the beach. You decided that since they were coming over you would drive them to the beach, it would also work out well for you since you could go on your date with Yang the moment you were both ready.

"I'm giving you the drinks for nothing, stop complaining." you reprimanded your best friend.

"Teams RWBY and JNPR were already there well before you woke up and it takes nearly an hour to get there. We could've already been there by now." he complained, putting the cans in the boot of the car.

"You wanted the drinks and you took me up on my offer to drive you there. You should've told me what time everyone else was going at so I could get up earlier."

"Most people don't go to bed at 5 am."

"Anyone besides him wanna ride shotgun ?" you asked the rest of team DINO.

"I'll take you up on that offer." the team leader, Deena, replied.

Everyone got in and you started the car. You caught a glimpse of your mom in the shop and waved goodbye, whether she saw you or not, before driving off.

"So what are you gonna do about keeping those drinks cool ?" Deena asked Ivan. There was a few seconds of silence before you heard a small bit of snickering come from everyone except Ivan. Deena then spoke to you on what you were missing. "You can't see it but he just realised he's after making a mistake."

You chuckled at this.

"Weiss can keep them cold." Ivan suggested.

"Do you really think she brought her weapon with her ?" Nima reminded him.

"Well maybe she..."

"She's not gonna be able to keep them cold."

"You didn't bring a cooler did you (y/n) ?"

"No. Thought you would do something about keeping them chilled."

"Just great." Ivan groaned.

There was silence between everyone for a minute.

"So I guess you're not doing a barbecue today." Ivan asked you.

"Nope."

"Why would he be having a barbecue ?" Nima asked.

"When I was young and my parents took me to the beach we always had a barbecue. It's kind of like a family tradition. I learned how to cook a while back so I've done it a few times." you replied.

"He's good at it as well. He even tried to teach me." Ivan noted.

"And you ended up setting the burgers on fire." you remarked.

"It would've been cool if you were. I love barbecue. " Owen said.

"Yeah but I already have plans for dinner tonight. I take it Ivan's already told you that and that I won't be able to drive you back."

"Yeah he did. It's fine" Deena said. "You didn't have to drive us to the beach so you've done enough."

Not much else was said for the rest of the trip over. The time you spent at Beacon was brought up and everyone seemed to enjoy reminiscing about that night. You were greeted by the sight of a beach fairly crowded from the many people who had flocked there to escape the heat.

"Oh great." you commented. "How are we gonna find everyone ?"

"I messaged them a few minutes ago." Nima replied. "Someone should be up to meet us."

"Why don't you guys get out while I find a place to park ? I could be a while."

"You sure ?" Ivan asked.

"Yeah. Just wait for me around here."

You stopped the car and everyone got out. You spent a good five minutes searching for a spot to park. You had hoped to find a place in the shade to park, but had to settle on one that was out in the sun. Not wanting the car to become too hot you left the windows open the tiniest bit to let the air in. After you took your stuff out of the boot you felt yourself pulled backwards. The shock you felt at that moment went away quickly when you felt a pair of lips come into contact with your cheek, causing a smile to break out on your face.

You turned around to face Yang, only to have your mouth open in awe at the sight of her. She was wearing a small yellow bikini, the top part quite revealing, just able to contain her breasts. Seeing the stunned look on your face made her giggle.

"See something you like ?" she asked.

Before you could answer Yang pulled you towards her for a kiss. You readied your self to kiss her back only for something to jump in between you both. You instinctively retreated backwards before you came into contact with it. Getting a proper look you saw that it was a dog that had come between you. It barked excitedly at you before being taken by Yang.

"Is that your dog ?"

Yang nodded.

"This is Zwei."

"Hey Zwei." you said, reaching out to pet him, which he happily accepted. "Wait. Does he stay at Beacon with you ?"

"He is for a while."

"I didn't know they let the students have pets."

"Nobody has said anything about it so far. Anyway lets get back to the others."

"Lead the way."

Yang put down Zwei and the small dog bounded off. Both you and Yang followed.

"Was the beach crowded when you got here ?" you asked.

"Not as much as it is now. We're lucky we got here earlier, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten our spot." Yang replied.

"How long have you been here ?"

"Almost two hours."

You caught sight of Ivan and his team among the crowd as you walked along the beach with Yang. They were a good bit ahead of you both, following Yangs' younger sister. However that wasn't what had your attention. You heard several voices calling out to Yang for her attention. You assumed they were students from Beacon given that they knew Yang.

"Hey Yang."

"Looking good Yang."

"Wanna go for a swim later ?"

"Need help putting on some lotion Yang ?"

While Yang didn't seem to pay any attention to them the same couldn't be said for you. You thought back to your date at the club and thought you might have a repeat of when that one person tried to pick up Yang, except this time instead of a drunken club goer you could be dealing with a huntsman in training that could probably wipe the floor with you without much effort. Neither of them probably knew that you were going out with Yang so you had to do something to let them know. You moved your hand towards Yangs'. Once they both came into contact she locked her fingers between yours. It was only a small gesture but you hoped that it discouraged them.

You both continued until you reached a spot with several towels spread out across the sand. You placed your own towel next to Yangs' and sat down next to her.

"About later on." you began. "You wanna try see if there's a place nearby instead of going straight to the city to find somewhere? That is if you want to."

"Sure. When do you want to head off ?"

"Whenever you want to go."

A few silent minutes passed and several students walked by, none of which you recognised, making comments at Yang similar to what you heard earlier. After the first comment you simply rolled you eyes and tried to ignore them. After all Yang didn't pay mind to any of them, the most she gave any of them was just a barely noticeable wave, so there was you had no reason to let things bother you as much as they did. Thankfully they all just passed by, none of them seemed to stop to talk to her.

"She likes you and that's all that matters." you told yourself, more than once. Ivan had told you those exact same words a week ago and by repeating them to yourself you hoped that they would help reassure. They only worked to the smallest extent. The sad truth was that when you compared yourself to the people who were hitting on Yang, or the people she could be with besides you, it was impossible not to feel inferior. Who were you compared to them ? Ignoring those thoughts seemed like the best option.

The voice of your friend proved to be a much needed distraction. He was awkwardly carrying the drinks you gave him while talking to one of Yangs' teammates, Weiss, if you remembered correctly. From what you could make out he was trying to see if she could keep them cold. Given that she walked away looking annoyed at him it was easily assumed he had no luck.

"You want something to drink ?" you asked Yang.

"I'm good for now." she replied.

"I'll be back in a second."

You walked up to Ivan and took one of the cans.

"No luck keeping them cold ?"

"Calling her Ice Queen probably wasn't the smartest move on my part." Ivan commented.

"Well then, better start chugging or handing them out to everyone. They're not completely warm right now."

"I'll get rid of them, just you wait."

You turned around to head back to Yang, only to see something that annoyed you. Another person hitting on her. This one got much closer to her than the others and was flexing his muscles in front of her. Yangs' face was obscured from you, meaning you couldn't see if she was paying him any attention just to be considerate, which would have made you feel better. Fortunately he walked away after a few seconds, before you were ready to throw your can at him.

"Am I really not that intimidating ?" you muttered to yourself. A reassuring hand was placed on your back.

"Don't overthink it too much." Ivan said. His teammate Nima also noticed.

"Next time you see someone trying to put the moves on her just tell me and I'll grab them by the crotch and spin them around like a windmill."

You gave a much needed laugh at her statement.

"Thanks." you replied to her before she walked off. "Maybe this just speaks more of how good Yang is."

"That's a better way of looking at it. Just don't let it put you down." Ivan said.

"Easier said than done."

"I meant to ask you this last week. I know it's probably none of my business, so if you don't want to tell me then that's fine, but...have you...you know...told her about why you quit..."

"No." you cut him off.

"Haven't had the right moment ?"

"Something like that. It's not something that I really want to have to tell her about, but I know sooner or later I'll have to."


	6. Heart to Heart: Part 2

If you were a student at Beacon there was no doubt in your mind that Yang would be someone that you would have a crush on. As shallow as it may sound, her physical appearance alone would have probably sufficed. But with that aside there were other reasons she would catch your eye. She was a cheerful and outgoing person, easily able to make friends with others. Even if you had just a few minutes of conversation with her that would be enough to have you become infatuated with her.

But all it would ever amount to was a crush. You would've never done anything about your attraction to her and would most likely end up watching from a distance while she would end up with someone else with more confidence than you.

But that wasn't the case. In what could be considered the biggest stroke of luck, Yang thought that you of all people were worth her time. While you couldn't complain, it was mind boggling to you why she did. There had to be some reason that the girl, who was currently resting her head against you, wanted to be with you.

"Hey." Yang interrupted you from your thoughts. "I just noticed that mark on you."

She pointed at a scar from a wound located just underneath your rib cage. You had gotten it years ago so it had long since healed, only visible upon closer look.

"Is it bothering you to look at ? Because I can put my shirt on and cover it up if you want."

"No.I wasn't saying that at all. How'd you get it ?"

"It was just an accident a few years back."

You managed to convinced her not to push any further on the matter, not wanting to explain the full story behind it for the time being and went back to enjoying the beach together. You put you arm around her shoulder, her skin was warm from soaking up the sun and felt pleasant to touch. Yang then shifted her position so that her head rested against yours, her hair tickling your cheek slightly as she nuzzled you. Her head then turned slightly, bringing the edge of her lips to yours. Her free arm then reached around and moved your face so that her lips could lightly peck yours. It lasted just a brief second. The second kiss, in contrast, was much more eager. Sinking deeper into the kiss you heard a soft moan come from her.

The need for oxygen forced you both to stop.

"I've been waiting all week for that." she said smiling at you.

"So have I."

You were both about to return to what you were doing only for you to feel something strike the right side of your face before your lips could make contact again. The object in question was a ball. You looked to see if you could pinpoint its source. No luck, although you swore you could hear a bit of laughter coming from somewhere. Yang stood up furiously,grabbed the ball and started to walk off, seeming to know exactly who hit you.

"Yang don't bother doing anything." you said while rubbing your stinging cheek.

She sighed before chucking the ball with such force that you could hear the smack of the ball when it hit its target. A satisfied smile appeared on her face and she sat back down. You now wondered if the ball hitting you was done intentionally instead of being just an accident. Ignoring it seemed to be the best option. After all there was a mark on you that came from something much worse.

"They're just jealous." Yang remarked.

"Was it that guy who was flexing his muscles at you earlier ?"

"No it wasn't. You saw that huh ?"

"Yeah." you nodded.

"That guy was Brett Dubh, the second year ladies' man."

"Well I guess it figures he'd be here at the beach then. Did he say anything to you ?"

"He asked if he could play a song for me ?"

 _"Don't tell me he's one of those guys who brings a guitar everywhere with him."_ you thought .

"He can't take no for an answer. Even after I told him I was here with my boyfriend he said he'd come back."

A smile crept on your face when she referred to you as her boyfriend.

"If he was bothering you then you should have asked him to play the Sound of Silence."

Yang chuckled at your joke.

"Anyway if he does come back I'll have to teach him a lesson the hard way." she said cracking her knuckles.

While that was satisfying to think of, another idea came to mind. You whispered the idea Yang and a mischievous grin grew on her face.

"How do we do it ?"

"I'll go get Ivan. We'll need his Semblance."

Ivan was a little more than eager to help you out with your plan, probably much more than ypu were. An hour passed since things were set up and there was no sign of Brett. While you didn't want him to come back over to Yang, there was some bit of excitement in waiting to see if your plan would be successful.

"Usually I'm the one asking you for help with things like this." your friend commented.

"I know. It feels weird."

"Well anything to help my best friend. Anyway I guess I'll leave you two lovebirds alone for now."

* * *

Ivan walked off, rejoining his team.

"What were you getting up to ?" Deena asked, sitting down next to him.

"Just a little mischief." he replied. "(Y/n) and Yang wanted to play a little prank on Brett and they needed my semblance to help them."

"What did they need your shock waves for ?"

"Just wait and see." he said quieter than usual.

Deena threw herself backwards and lied on the ground, her hands behind her head as a rest while she enjoyed the sun.

"If the weather was half this good on our mission away it wouldn't have been too bad sitting around doing nothing."

"Yeah. I guess."

For a few seconds Ivan gaze was focused on (y/n) and Yang, enough for Deena to notice.

"I don't think they'd appreciate you creepily staring at them."

"They're spending their entire time here together and later on they're going away to spend more time alone together. You'd think Yang at least would have him doing things with her and the rest of team RWBY."

"They've only recently become a couple. Plus they only get to see each other once a week; of course they're gonna want to spend their time together."

"I know. But I hardly ever spent any time with him when I started at Beacon, that's why I asked him to come with us."

"Is Ivan Dearg getting jealous ?" Deena asked with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah. Go ahead and joke." Ivan remarked, shrugging off her comment.

"There's still plenty of time before they let them enjoy one another for now."

"Maybe you're right." Ivan sighed.

"Of course I'm right." Deena joked. "There is a reason I'm your team leader after all."

"Yeah. Ozpin pulled your name out of hat." Ivan joked.

"Watch it. I was thinking of doing you a favor but now I think I'll forget about it."

"What was it ?"

"What do you say ?" she goaded.

"I'm sorry." Ivan rolled his eyes.

"Apology accepted."

"So what was your idea ?"

"Well I remember you saying something about bringing (y/n) up to Beacon again for a night ."

"Yeah but he'd probably be off with Yang if I do. I can't ask them to stay away from one another, that'll make me sound like an ass. And Yang would probably put me through a wall."

"I think you're exaggerating a bit." Deena chuckled.

"I wouldn't put it past her."

"Anyway what if I come up with a girls' night out ? I'll ask Nima, team RWBY, and Nora and Pyrrha. Then you invite (y/n) to come up while we're out. Tell him not to let Yang know he's coming up as well so he can surprise her."

Ivan's face lit up up at her idea.

"Deena if you can get that to happen I'll owe you big time." he said enthusiastically,

"Consider it done."

* * *

Time passed and thankfully there was no sign of Brett; occasionally you would look over your shoulders to check for any sign of him. Deep down, some part of you hoped that he had some sense in him and wouldn't come back to Yang. The trick that you had come up with was more for her than it was for you. All you were really doing was, hopefully, putting a stop, to someone who was pestering her. If it helped Yang then that's all that mattered. Besides giving you a good laugh there wasn't much else it could do for you. The annoying truth was that you couldn't help comparing yourself to him. Not just him, everyone else you heard or saw hitting on her earlier, your best friend Ivan along with his friends, even Yang. All of them you felt inferior to. All because you weren't like them.

Today was the first time in years you had seen Ivans' semblance and it unintentionally brought back an old memory. Normally you would just shake it off, like you had done for so long. But with everything that had been going on so far in the day, it had gotten to you.

Currently you were sitting on your own, needing a few minutes to yourself, while taking the occasional glance at Yang who was with her team. You thought about going for a walk by yourself to clear your head but decided against it, thinking you might miss your plan go off, and you were right to do so. As Yang walked back to you she was approached by Brett, who had brought a guitar with him.

 _"I knew it. One of those guys who brings a guitar everywhere with him."_

You watched them for several seconds. Brett was hitting on Yang, who pretended that she was impressed with him, even getting him to show off his muscles for her again. She gave a very convincing giggle at this. After that you decided it was time for you to enter the fray.

"Yang ? What's going on ?"

"This is the boyfriend you said you're here with ?" Brett said condescendingly while getting a look at you.

"Do you mind ? We both have plans." you responded.

"Actually (y/n), Brett here said he'd play me a song. We were just gonna get some privacy together while he plays for me."

"But Yang I thought..."

"Hate to break it to you but I think she'd rather be with someone else."

"Sorry (y/n)." Yang said as she walked away with Brett, giving you a thumbs ups behind her back

"But Yang I thought..."

You were dangerously close to laughing upon realizing that it was just a matter of minutes until Brett would fall for your trap. Covering your mouth with your hand helped both hide your smile and put on a convincing act. You thought about falling to the ground on your knees but decided that it would be too much.

"I think you're after making the right choice Yang." Brett remarked looking back at your

As they both walked away from you Brett began playing his guitar. Yang escorted him to the spot where both of you put your towels down, you could just about hear his guitar and the odd bit of singing. Yang sat down on her towel while she listened to him play. You looked behind you at Ivan. He eagerly watched,along with his team, your plan about to fall into place. A minute or two passed and Yang gestured for him to sit down on your towel.

He put his guitar on the ground and once he set foot on your towel Brett literally fell for your trap. You got Ivan to use his shock wave semblance to create a big enough pit for him to fall into A burst of laughter escaped from you at the sight of him falling head first into it. From behind you could hear Ivan and his team laughing. Yang was probably laughing the hardest, having seen it up close. The look of joy on her face was more than enough for you. Just as you reached Yang, Brett had gotten out.

"Next time a girl tells you she's with her boyfriend, don't bother her again." Yang said to him.

Brett looked at you coldly before walking away.

"Seriously ? That guy ? Your mistake I guess."

That was the only thing he said before he was gone.

As the sun began to set that day both you and Yang decided to leave for dinner. You had gotten dressed relatively quickly and while you were waiting for Yang, decided to take a quick walk along the beach for some much needed time to yourself. You lifted your shirt to look at the mark on your stomach. You had spent so long with it that it was easy for you to ignore it and everything that it reminded you of. But today things were different. The fact that you weren't a huntsman in training, like everyone you were around, would've gotten to you had it not been for Yang's company.

By the time you decided to head back Yang was already dressed and had caught up to you. You both sat down to enjoy the sunset for a few minutes and made small talk. However Yang could tell that something seemed to be troubling you. She outright asked you what was wrong, but you didn't want to bother her with your troubles. Instead you decided to tell her something else.

"Do you know the real reason I left combat school ?"

"It's because you wouldn't of been able to afford it. Right ?"

"No. That's not it. The real reason I had to leave was because..."

For a second you felt like you couldn't say it. But you knew that you would have to tell Yang sooner or later since you started dating, and now you would.

"... because I don't have an aura."

Like you expected she was surprised by this.

"I don't understand. How can you not have an aura ?"

"Well first I should mention that I do have a soul. Both my parents have one and could use it if they wanted to. But when I was in combat school and we had to move onto aura training I had problems trying to unlock it. At first I thought it would just be a bit harder for me; after all some of the students had problems at first. After a while I was the only one in class who still didn't have it unlocked, some of the teachers tried to help me with it but still nothing. After I got a proper examination done I learned that there was a small percentage of people around the world whose soul can't manifest itself as an aura and I was part of that percentage. It's just how I was born. Without an aura and semblance you're pretty much useless as a huntsman or huntress."

"So you quit ?"

"Not exactly. I couldn't accept the fact that I would have to quit. I thought that maybe I didn't need it; maybe I could become a huntsman without one. So I made the stupidest mistake of my life. In the combat school I went to one of the exams for students in their final year is to kill a grimm, a Boarbatusk. I managed to take one of the cages containing one so I could kill it and prove that I didn't need an aura. And..." you showed her your mark again. "... I was lucky that all I ended up with is this, a wound from one of the tusks that had to be stitched up. One of the teachers ended up saving me."

Yang looked at you sympathetically. You had gotten a lot of looks similar to that in the days after you quit, mostly from family members, aunts and uncles alike. To be honest it was something that bothered you. It was if any form of sympathy from others on the matter just rubbed it in more.

"I don't think I need to explain what happened after that. Sorry if I bummed you out at any point today, being around everyone today just kind of got to me."

Yang grabbed you in a warm hug a few seconds after you stopped, resting her head against yours. You wasted no time in returning the embrace.

"Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything."

A smile grew on your face. You could stay in that moment with her forever.

"If you'd like; I could sing a song for you." you suggested after both you broke the hug.

"I didn't know you sing"

"Well I've heard from several customers that I have a good voice." you joked, making Yang snicker. She placed her hand on your cheek.

"In a minute. I don't think you'll be able to sing while doing this."

She moved her face towards your own before softly planting her lips on your. At first there was some restraint by her. It wasn't until you returned the kiss that she sunk deeper into it.

 _"Yang. I swear that I will be someone who deserves you."_


	7. Another Night

The sound of metal clashing against metal filled your ears, broken occasionally by a few bursts of automatic gunfire. You looked up from your scroll every now and again to let your friend know that you were watching. If you were single then you would have been fully engrossed in watching Ivan spar with Owen. But being at Beacon again only made you think about one person, Yang, who wasn't there at the moment.

Ivan decided to bring you up to Beacon again after his team leader had come up with a girl's night out with Nima, Yang and her team, and Nora and Pyrrha. You had no idea what they would be doing outside of going to movie, though you were told by Ivan that they'd be gone for a good bit. Yang didn't know that you were at Beacon, Ivan having suggested that you not tell her so you could surprise her. You messaged her on your scroll while your friend was training with his teammate. Owen had booked the arena for a training session with Ivan, unaware that you were coming up that same day. You had convinced them to go ahead with the session, claiming it would be interesting to watch.

After Yang hadn't messaged you back after a few minutes you watched the sparring match properly. Ivan was easily dodging heavy swings from Owens weapon, a large spiked mace with a handle that was almost the same height as him and ended with what looked like it could be a shotgun. After spotting an opening, Ivan sent several quick jabs at him with his weapon, a double ended spear. The jabs forced Owen back, giving Ivan the chance to split his weapon into its dual SMG mode. He fired more quick bursts at Owen to push him back further, only for Owen to expertly block them with the head of his mace. Ivan then rushed him, reforming his guns back into spear mode and swiped at Owen's head. This attack was blocked by the handle of Owens weapon. Seeing an opportunity, Ivan performed a sweeping kick across Owens legs, catching him off guard and sending him backwards to the floor. Before Owen could get back up Ivan pointed his spear at his space, signalling that he had won the match.

"Cheap shot." Owen complained.

"You gonna say that in a proper fight." Ivan replied. "Besides you should worry about watching you back more than someone talking a cheap shot. If you don't then it might end badly for you."

"I want a rematch."

Ivan sighed.

"(y/n) do you mind?" he asked.

"Go ahead." you replied.

Ivan retracted his spear and walked away. Instead of getting back up, Owen aimed the end of his mace at the floor Ivan was walking on and fired a blast of ice dust from it, freezing the ground and causing Ivan to slip forwards.

"Cheap shot Owen." he said while both you and Owen erupted in laughter.

Once the training session was over Ivan brought you up to a spot on the roof and left you alone for several minutes. You assumed that this was where you'd be for the rest of the night so you sat down against the wall, facing the view that overlooked most of Beacon, although you didn't look at it for more than a few seconds, your eyes quickly darting to your scroll. Since there was no reply from Yang you assumed that she was at the movie. It would still be another few hours before she returned to Beacon, hours you wanted to go by as fast as they could.

The door opened and Ivan came back carrying his backpack with him, followed by Owen, who also had a backpack, and two others, Jaune and Ren.

"You guys aren't gonna leave a mess here are you? I'm training here with Pyrrha tomorrow."

"Jaune calm down, we'll clean up when we're done." Ivan tried to assure him. It was then that Jaune noticed that you were there.

"Oh I didn't know you were gonna be here (y/n)."

"Jaune, Ren, good to see you both." you greeted. Both of them sat down across from you, sitting a fair distance away from the edge. Owen sat to your right in the corner while Ivan took a more centralised position so that he was a close enough distance to everyone.

"So what do you have in the bags?" Jaune enquired.

"Glad you asked Jaune." Owen replied, taking out a twelve pack of beer from his backpack, Ivan followed in suit, producing another eight cans from his. Jaune gasped in shock while Ren's eyes widened.

"How did you guys get those?" he asked.

"Not just those." Ivan added, taking out a large bottle of whiskey, flashing a grin at you. "Told you I'd sneak it in."

"You did." you replied, smiling.

"And to answer your question Jaune, Ivan was able to get them with his fake ID." Owen answered.

"I can't believe you still have it." you remarked.

"Got a new one before I started at Beacon." Ivan responded to you before tossing a can of beer to everyone.

"Should we really be drinking this?" Jaune asked hesitantly.

"Alcohol might not be the best thing for us as huntsmen in training." Ren added.

Their voices started to drown out. Once again your scroll took up all of your attention. Yang still hadn't messaged you back. You found yourself staring at it longer than normal, waiting for any reply from your girlfriend. It wasn't until Ivan mentioned you by name that you took your attention away from it.

"Time to drink up everyone that's how the game goes." your best friend ordered everyone, handing you a shot glass full of whiskey.

"Wait we're playing a drinking game?" you asked while accepting the glass.

"Yeah. Every time you take out your scroll we take a shot."

"I'm not on it that much." you tried to defend yourself but the look Ivan gave you said that what you were saying was futile.

On Ivan's count everyone drank their shot. The whiskey briefly felt like it was burning your throat, subsiding to a more relaxing warmth before settling down. You had to admit that it was a bit hard to stomach but looking around you saw that you fared a lot better than Jaune and Ren. Ren was quick to spit it out in the disgust, getting a warning from Owen about wasting it.

"My throat is on fire!" Jaune choked, almost sounding like he was in pain, but more than likely he was overreacting to it.

"Here drink this." Ivan suggested, handing Jaune an open can of beer, something that he didn't notice. Upon taking the can he immediately took a large swig from it and was repulsed by the taste just as quickly. His reaction elicited a chuckle from both you and Ivan.

"Why are we drinking this stuff?" he complained. "It's horrible."

"That's what I said first time drinking as well." you said while opening your own can and taking a quick sip from it. The bitter taste caused you to shudder slightly, much like the first time you had alcohol. "Don't worry; it's not as bad the next time you drink from it."

"I'll take your word for it." Jaune groaned.

"So Ivan; think you can handle more than two this time? There's a lot more in these cans than in the bottles." you said.

"Are you challenging me?"

"Didn't mean for it to sound like that."

"Well I'm gonna take it as one."

"I'm guessing the alcohol is already after getting to you." you joked.

"Oh I'm gonna do a lot better this time."

"And if you don't at least you don't have to worry about passing out in the girls' bathroom this time."

This got a few snickers from everyone. Ivan gave a sarcastic laugh before taking a good swig from his can.

"So is this all we're gonna be doing for the night?" Jaune asked.

"Pretty much." Owen replied, nodding.

An hour passed and you had managed to get a start on your second can. Both Owen and Ivan were already halfway through their second one while Ren and Jaune were just about getting through their first. Everyone had one more shot after you were caught trying to sneak a glance at your scroll. Since you hardly looked at your scroll Ivan decided to have everyone doing shots at random.

For a while you felt left out of the conversation. When Owen brought up the training session earlier they began talking about combat strategies and giving one another tips. Even Ren spoke more than you. All you could do was sit back and listen. Owen was the one to bring you back into the conversation, although from his question and the way he spoke it was obvious that the alcohol was starting to get to him.

"So (y/n) I gotta ask you something." He said while taking the first sip of his third can.

"Ask away."

"Has Yang let you touch her amazing, perfect, stunning, absolutely gorgeous..."

"Owen." Ivan warned, only for his words to fall on deaf ears.

"... hair?"

" _Not what I was expecting him to say_."

"No." you replied confused. Before you could say anything else he interrupted you.

"You are one really lucky guy. Do you have any idea what most guys around here would do to be dating Yang?"

"I can only ima..."

"I mean seriously, have you seen the size of her..."

"Time for more shots!" Ivan declared after filling up everyone's glass once more.

In unison, you all slugged down the content of your shot glasses, almost like you were machines. The whiskey didn't bother you as much as it did when you first tried it and looking around there was no denying that the same could be said for Jaune and Ren. Neither had spat out any, although they did cringe every now and again from the taste of beer. Out of everyone Owen seemed to be able to stomach the alcohol the best, chugging large amounts from his can in one go, making you come to the conclusion that he had probably been drinking on more than one occasion . By the time you were nearing the end of your third can you could tell the alcohol was getting to you, your head feeling heavy whenever you turned it.

"You know what'd be good to have right now?" Ivan asked while sitting next to you.

"What?"

"A big slingshot. Like this big."

He stretched out his arms to emphasize.

"That would be the best thing ever!" you responded enthusiastically. "But what would we shoot from it?"

"Our empty cans." He suggested.

"Maybe some eggs." you suggested.

"Oh yeah; Ren has a lot of them for making pancakes, don't think he'd mind letting us take some. You know what else we could fire from it? The whiskey bottle. That'd be hilarious."

"Wait sec. Who would we be shooting stuff at?"

"Well there's... Hang on a sec."

Ivan clumsily got up and walked towards the edge, scanning the area around once he reached it.

"There's nobody walking around!" he shouted. "Where did they all go?"

"Quiet." Jaune whispered while walking up to your friend. "Owen's trying to explain the greatest idea ever."

Once again Owen had everyone's attention, standing in the centre so that he could make his big announcement. He was definitely an outgoing person, though not as much as Ivan or Yang. However, after consuming alcohol he practically demanded the spotlight so he could say whatever came to mind, or whatever he wouldn't normally say while he was sober.

"Okay so here it is." he began enthusiastically. "Imagine these tiny little creatures. Like these small, round, wide-eyed, fluffy, little creatures."

"I think these creatures are meant to be small." Ivan tried to whisper to Jaune, only for everyone else to hear.

"Silence!" Owen fired back. "So anyway you're holding one of these things in your hand and you're looking directly into its sweet little eyes. Then they start shouting at you to motivate, telling you that you're a failure as a man and that you're a complete wimp. So then you stuff the little shits into your mouth and you can still hear them shouting at you while they're chewed alive and... and then when you wake up you're after getting a huge six-pack... and spikes start growing your body."

There was silence after he finished, nobody knowing what to say, although Jaune looked at him with an amazed expression. Noticing the bottle of whiskey on the ground near him, Ivan slowly grabbed the bottle and pulled it away from Owen, effectively cutting him off and leaving him with the remainder of his final can.

"You wanna know what the best part about being here is?" Owen asked everyone as he sat back down, speaking in a more subdued tone. Nobody answered. "Not going back and forth between mom and dad's homes every week. Never have to put up with any of that again."

You noticed that Ivan suddenly looked a lot more interested after hearing this.

"Your parents are divorced?" you asked, he nodded in response.

"Been like that since I was little. But at least I'm far away from both of them now, that's the why I didn't wanna go to Haven back in Mistral. I guess they only got married and stayed together for as long as they did was because mom got knocked up with me. How long can something between two people last if the things they do in life are just too far apart? Dad works in some office job and mom wants to do something where she can travel a lot. No idea why they liked one another in the first place. Compare that to Nima's parents. Both of them emergency service workers, her dad's a paramedic and her mom's a firefighter. They were married for years before she was born and still happily married to this day, all because the things they do are similar. Maybe that's why, in the stories, the heroes never fall in love with someone like a baker or a..."

Owen was shut up by Ivan who made him down what was left in his final can.

"This is meant to be a guy's night." Ivan told his teammate, sounding like he was almost scolding him, although there wasn't much seriousness in his voice. "What're you doing talking about that kind of stuff?"

After that Owen said nothing else for the rest of the night, being the first among you to pass out. You found yourself drinking your beer at more frequent intervals, trying to drown out what Owen had just said. It got you thinking about your relationship with Yang. You had only been together for around two months but you loved every moment with her. You already had some insecurities about your relationship that stemmed from something similar to what Owen had brought up and knowing what Yang wanted to do with her life and comparing it to your own just added to them. If what he said was anywhere close to being true, then your relationship with her was guaranteed to fail. You had made a promise to yourself that you would be someone that deserved to be with her but had no idea how you could do that.

Because Owen had passed out that meant everyone had to consume more whiskey so the bottle would be gone, Ivan making the declaration that until every last drop was gone nobody would be leaving. The bottle was almost half empty when he said that and everyone had just about finished up with their cans. Shots became much more frequent, usually every five minutes. If all you had to drink was the beer, then you probably wouldn't have been half as bad as you were with the whiskey.

"Ok Jaune you ready for me to unlock your sshemblance?" a very drunk Ivan asked.

"Yesh I am!" Jaune replied. He tried to stand up but as soon as he did he fell forwards, though he was able to break the fall with his hands.

"Right. Sho the firsht thing I need you to do is close your eyes."

Jaune did what he requested.

"Now hold on a shec."

You watched as your friend stumbled over to his bag, trying to silence his snickering as he did. You asked him what he was taking out from it, to which you got no reply. You barely caught a glimpse of something that looked cylindrical in shape. When he reached Jaune he practically slapped him in the face with the item. He then produced a lighter from his pocket. It was then you figured out what was going on and almost started roaring with laughter.

"Shut it (y/n)!" Ivan barked at you. "Okay. Now whin I shay three you go grrrrrrrrrr, and then kaboom!"

"Kaboom?"

"Kaboom. Ready?"

Jaune nodded.

"One. Two. Three!"

Jaune grunted and a red projectile was shot into the air before bursting and crackling in mid-air.

"I can shoot fireworks!" Jaune proudly shouted. Both you and Ivan collapsed to the floor in laughter, Ivan's face visibly turning red while your cheeks began to hurt from it.

"Kabooooom!" Ivan managed to scream.

"Happy New Year!" you blurted.

"When de hell did if become New Yearsh?" Ivan asked.

"Then why are we drinking if it's not?"

"Because we need tuh represh shum stuff."

"We better get shum more booze then. Cuz we're after running out." you said. Upon hearing this Ivan grabbed the empty bottle and examined it before throwing it over the edge.

"Let's get going sho."

"I'll drive ush there." you offered. Ivan clambered towards you and put his hand on your shoulder.

"No. Yur too drunk. Gimme the keys, I'll drive."

"Okay, but I'm in the front."

"Right. Lemme wake up Owen."

"Jaune you gonna go with ush? you asked.

"Gimme a minute." he replied. "I just... just..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jaune quickly turned around and threw up over the edge. Seeing this, you crawled over and awkwardly attempted to pat his back, missing most of the time or getting his neck.

"Why's it solid?" he choked. You said nothing and continued your clumsy attempt to help him through his drunken ordeal. Glancing over at your best friend, you saw that he had gotten Owen into a more conscious state and the two of them were now struggling to stand up.

"Jaune!" a concerned voice cried out, making you jump. Looking towards the door where the voice came from, you saw Pyrrha standing in shock.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune excitedly shouted while managing to stand up.

"Stripper's here." Owen proclaimed before passing out again and falling to the ground, dragging Ivan down with him. Neither of them moved.

"But that's not mom." Ivan said quietly.

"Pyrrha you're not gonna believe it!" Jaune shouted as he staggered happily towards her, collapsing just as he reached her, fortunately Pyrrha caught him in her arms.

"Have you been drinking?" Pyrrha asked him.

"I may have had a few with the guys. But gue..."

"What have you done to my Ren?!" Nora angrily shouted, much louder than Pyrrha.

It then dawned on you that Ren was also present. You saw him lying face down on the ground, how long he had been like that you didn't know. He had been so quiet during the night it was like he wasn't even there.

"Oh my god we killed Renny!" you exclaimed. In response Ivan weakly raised his hand to say something, only for it to drop back down again.

Since he was closer, Nora went directly to Ivan and grabbed him by the shirt.

"You better tell me what you did to him before I break your legs." she threatened. There was no response of any kind from your friend. Before she could turn her sight on you a groan sounded from Ren.

"Nora." he said weakly, though there was not much difference from his normal voice. Nora immediately let Ivan drop to the ground and ran over to him, and helped him up.

"Ren are you alright?"

"Top form Nora." Ren replied before quickly giving her a small kiss on the cheek. This caused Nora to freeze up and turn red. A low squeeing sound came from her and continued to do so as Ren pushed her still frozen body out the door and back to their dorm.

"Let's go Jaune." Pyrrha said while putting his arm around her shoulder and escorting him away, his legs dragging along the floor.

"I've got something to show you back at the room."

That was last thing you heard from him before they were both gone.

Once again you were sitting in silence. Both Ivan and Owen were passed out next to each other and any attempt you made to get them up so the three of you could head back to their dorm ended up being futile. Since Pyrrha and Nora were after coming back then that meant Yang was more than likely back as well. You wanted nothing more than to be with her but without knowing where her room was and still wanting to surprise her, even in your drunken state, you had to resign yourself to stay where you were and wait until the morning to see her. Wandering around the place on your own while you were drunk would probably end badly as well.

As you were on the cusp of passing out you saw someone step out from the door.

"Yang!" you greeted her happily. You felt a renewed burst of energy and attempted to stand up so you could properly greet her with a hug. That proved to be difficult. Any attempt to stand upright resulted in you stumbling briefly before falling back down.

"What're doing here?" Yang asked.

"We were having a guy's night. I was gonna surprise you. Were you surprised?"

She didn't reply, instead she just looked at you.

"Did I mess up?" you questioned. Still no reply. "Oh no I messed up. Was I meant to bring you flowers? I shoulda got you flowers." Your voice grew more panicky and was starting to sound pathetic.

"Come on." she sighed while helping you up and putting your arm around her shoulder.

"Where we goin?"

"You need a place to sleep."

"Just throw me off the side, I'll sleep in the hedge. It'll be just like my cousins wedding."

Again there was no response from her.

You began to feel tired while Yang escorted you. Your eyes were opening and closing irregularly while you remained conscious. Fortunately you didn't have to worry about where you were going since Yang was leading you so it was only a matter of you making things easier for her by making sure she didn't have to drag you. By the time you both reached your destination your eyes were fully closed, though you were still conscious. When you entered a room, which you assumed belonged Yang and her team, you could hear the conversation ensued.

"You can't possibly expect him to stay here in our room." A voice you recognised as Weiss complained.

"Where else is he supposed to stay Weiss?"

"My offer to throw me into the hedge still stands." you said in an attempt to make Yang laugh. Which it didn't.

"Where's he even going to sleep?" Weiss asked.

"Blake do you mind switching beds with me tonight?" Yang requested. "Having him on the top bunk might be a bad idea."

"Just don't get up to anything in it."

After Blake's comment you fell to the floor and hit it with a thud that probably sounded louder to everyone else than it did to you.

"Guess he's sleeping on the floor."

That was the last thing you heard before passing out.

* * *

It would be an understatement to say you felt terrible when you woke up. Between your mouth feeling horribly dry, the pounding headache, the hunger from not having eaten anything for over twelve hours and having consumed alcohol and nothing else, you couldn't decide what was worse. As the morning light met your eyes you had to shield them with your hand so you they wouldn't hurt. If you weren't hungover you probably would've questioned why there was a bed above the one you woke up on supported only by books.

Thankfully Yang was present in the room when you woke, making you feel much better than you could've felt.

"Hey." you greeted.

"Hey." she responded disquietly .

"So this is your room?"

"Yep."

"I like what you did with the beds. Gives a lot more room."

"That's the idea."

There was silence between the both of you. Yang wasn't her usual self and immediately you blamed yourself.

"So how'd you know I was here?" you asked.

"Pyrrha told me after she took Jaune back to their room. We saw the firework going off when we came back and she knew where it came from."

"Guess me surprising you didn't go the way I was hoping." you muttered to yourself.

"It was nice that you were going to."

She flashed a brief, half smile at you.

"Ivan wanted to bring me up here, he gave me the idea to surprise you."

"So the drinking was his idea?"

"Yeah."

"Looked like you had a lot to drink."

"Well it was four cans each. The whiskey is what really got to us."

Worry began to seep into you. The first thing that came to mind was that you had done something to upset her. You remembered not being with Yang too long before passing out and you didn't do anything too bad, unless there were things that you had forgotten. The small talk that went back and forth between you did nothing but make things more awkward and uncomfortable. Waiting any longer would do no good and would likely make things worse, meaning that the best course of action was to address things directly.

"Yang... Did I do something last night that..."

"You didn't do anything last night."

You felt a small bit of relief.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Seeing you drunk just brought up some bad memories."

"Bad memories? Of what?"

"Of when I was little and my family was going through a bad time."

"Yang I'm sorry. If I knew that..."

"It's ok. I know you wouldn't do anything like that on purpose. I'm not trying to be someone who controls your life and tells you what you can and can't do. But from what I saw of you while you were drunk I didn't like. You weren't you."

" _What's so good about sober me?"_ you thought.

You stood up from the bed and walked up to Yang. You reminded yourself of the promise you had. In your mind, you had already you had failed to keep it. You had done something to upset her and at that moment no matter how much convincing, either from yourself or Yang, that it wasn't as bad as you were making it out be, wouldn't be enough.

"Yang; I swear that something like this will never happen again." you swore to her, taking her hands in yours. "Last night was just meant to be some stupid fun with the guys, that's all. I didn't even like the taste of the beer or whiskey."

"Why don't we just put this behind us? Nothing bad happened; not to us anyway."

It took you a moment to realize what she was on about.

"Ivan and Owen. We just left them there."

"Pyrrha told their teammates, but I think they didn't bother bring them back."

You snickered at the thought of what the two of them would be like when they woke, Yang joined in shortly after. When you both stopped, you noticed Yang had proper smile on her face.

"Do you think we should go check up on them?" you asked.

"After breakfast. I didn't want to leave you here alone so I haven't eaten yet."

"Actually that does sound good right now."

"Then lets go."

You held on to one of her hands and remained stationary so you could say one last thing to her in the privacy of the room before you left.

"Just before we go. If there's anything you want from me so I can make things up, I'll do it."

She smiled at you.

"I'll hold you to that."


	8. Family Matters

"So; who's the girl?" your dad asked. You managed to react to his question with the usual indifference that was to be expected from you whenever you were asked a personal question, although you were confused as to why he would ask that question. Sure, you had been messaging Yang for the last few minutes while you were working, in fact, you had been doing it a lot recently, you had done nothing to suggest to either of your parents that you were chatting with your girlfriend.

"Don't know what you're on about." you responded dryly while getting up from your slouched position on the counter.

"Just seems like your hiding a girlfriend from us. You're out of the house a lot more often..."

"I'm with Ivan and his team." you reasoned.

"... you're quick to hide your scroll whenever someone walks in, you've never done that until recently..."

"Why are you even paying attention to that?"

"... and you seem to be in a much better mood than usual."

"Doesn't mean I have a girlfriend."

Before your dad could respond you both heard your mom calling him, asking for help looking for something. Both of them were heading out for a small family gathering, something you had no interest in attending. Any relatives that were close to your age were never present unless it was an important gathering, and you would rather be at home with the house to yourself. But now you had another reason not to go.

Your parents would usually be out late at these gatherings, often staying out well past midnight. Meaning that you'd have plenty of time to have Yang over for a few hours without your parents knowing, giving you both the perfect chance for some privacy together. It would also give you the chance to start making things up to her after the previous week. Sure, you both agreed that is would be best to just put it in the past, you found it hard to forgive yourself for upsetting her.

While Yang hadn't called you on your promise to do anything, although you weren't expecting her to yet since it had only been a week, that didn't mean you weren't willing to go out of your way for her even more than you would normally. You were starting with something simple, making her favourite meal for her, it was small, but it was a start. You had something much bigger planned, but it would take some time to get it sorted out. For the time being you would just have to kick things into overdrive.

"(y/n) we're off." your mom informed you.

"Alright. I'll see you later."

"There's plenty of food in the house and you have money if you want to order anything."

"Don't need to tell me that every time you leave me here alone." you remarked.

"Call us if there's an emergency."

"I know. Bye."

You waved goodbye to the two of them nonchalantly, you didn't even bother looking up at them while they exited and drove off. That brief exchange before they both left was essentially protocol whenever they would leave.

You listened to the car drive off before returning to work, if you could call sitting at the counter of an empty shop and doing nothing work. You intended to close down early so you could get things ready for Yang, make a start on the meal, light some candles, pick some music to help set the mood, and possibly stop by a nearby florist to pick up a bouquet for her. All that was stopping you from closing the moment was Mrs Greene. It was around the time when she usually visits for a few essential items she needed for the weekend and you didn't want to inconvenience her by closing the closest shop to her house since she was a friend of the family.

As if on cue, she entered.

"Good evening (y/n)." she greeted.

"Hey Mrs Greene. How are things?"

"I've some wonderful news." she began while browsing the shelves. "Sterling's after getting engaged."

"That's the last of your sons so?"

"Hard to believe they're all starting families of their own. Where does the time go? What about yourself? Any love in your life?"

"Can't say that there is."

You said that with the intention to bring the conversation to an end as quick as possible. You would have at least an hour to get things ready before Yang would arrive, so you tried to show as much disinterest in talking if it meant she would be gone sooner.

"Well, no need to worry stuff like that yet. You're still young."

 _"Please just leave."_ you cursed at her in your head. You did feel guilty about it, but you were getting impatient from wanting to close up. By the time she reached the counter you couldn't scan her items fast enough.

"Are your parents gone out? I don't think I saw their car."

"Yeah, gone out for a while. Got the house to myself."

"Fun night in so?"

"That's the plan."

From outside you heard the sound of a motorcycle.

 _"That can't be her."_ you thought. While more time with Yang was in no way a bad thing, you'd still prefer to have some time to get things ready so you could make the night special.

"Enjoy yourself tonight." Mrs Greene said before exiting.

"Will do."

The noise from the motorcycle stopped. You grabbed the keys in a hurry and began locking up for the night. The moment you saw Yang at the door you went over ideas on how to possibly get the place ready in your head. The only thing you could think of was locking her in the bathroom for an hour, something you were certain wasn't a good idea.

You greeted her when she walked in, and were met with an embrace and a quick kiss.

"How come you're here early? you asked after breaking the kiss.

"Finished training early and I couldn't wait." she replied quickly before bringing you in for another kiss, her embrace on you tightening.

"I was just closing up for the night. Give me sec and we'll head into the house." you requested.

"Sure."

You made your way to the shutter controls and fished out the key for them from your pocket. As the light inside the shop slowly began to disappear while the shutters made their slow descent you flicked a light switch next to the controls to illuminate the place.

"So this is where you work?" Yang inquired while she looked around.

"Yeah." you replied, trying, and succeeding, to hide how ashamed you were. You assumed someone like Yang, who wants to live a life of excitement and adventure, wouldn't be impressed by the small, boring shop that you felt doomed to spend the rest of your life in. It was the thing that fuelled you to be the best boyfriend you could be to her, worrying that your situation would make her bored with you.

By the time the shutters were finally down you practically dragged her into the house. Sure, it was nothing impressive, but you always felt it gave off a welcoming air of comfort and warmth. It had always been a pleasant place to live in.

"Hope you don't mind waiting for dinner. I haven't gotten a start on it yet." you said while escorting Yang into the kitchen which was also the living room of the house, with a couch, two armchairs on each side of it, a coffee table and a TV all located away from it.

"I can wait." she replied

Just outside the kitchen was a round dining table where the majority of meals were had. You walked faster than Yang so you could reach it first and hold out her chair for her.

"Aren't you a gentleman." she remarked at your gesture before sitting down. Immediately you went into the kitchen, grabbed a candle, set it on the table and lit it before darting over to the fridge and then a cabinet next to it, taking out a few ingredients and a glass. After a quick minute you handed the glass to Yang.

"One strawberry sunrise, no ice and a little umbrella."

"You seem to be going all out." she said, taking the drink with a playful smile.

 _"Just wait til you see what I have planned for another time."_

"Well this is supposed to be a romantic dinner." you responded while preparing the meal. "Gotta set the mood."

Once the meal was cooking you sat down across from Yang for a few minutes, but not before dimming the lights.

"So; how long have you known how to cook?" she asked.

"A few years."

"Did your parents teach you?"

You nodded.

"I have the house to myself a lot so they thought it would be good to teach me how so I don't have to order out all the time. But usually I'm too lazy to cook for myself."

That got a quiet laugh from her.

"How's training for the Vytal Festival going?" you inquired. She groaned a bit.

"Lets not talk about that right now."

"Okay." You replied, slightly confused. Yang was normally enthusiastic whenever the fighting tournament, or being a huntress, was brought up. So to hear her respond to your question like that was almost baffling. You came to the conclusion that she had a stressful or bad time training earlier and just wanted to forget about it, something you decided to help her with after dinner.

You dropped the subject without a second thought and for the next couple of minutes until dinner was ready you both spent the time enjoying each other's company and, making one another laugh. You told her a story about your grandfather that you own father had told you, about how when his sister in law passed away both him and his wife went over to her house to clear out her things. Your grandfather noticed that there was a bottle of ketchup that had hardly been used so he took the bottle and sold it in the shop. Yang began snickering from that story and continued to do so while you got up from your seat to finish making the dinner.

"Smells good." Yang commented as you put down her plate in front of her. You returned to your own seat and raised your glass. Yang smiled and raised her glass in response.

Neither of you talked much while you were eating. Yang complimented you on your cooking skills, enjoying the meal. Other than that it was just small talk and a bit of flirting. Any worries you previously had from earlier disappeared thanks to Yang's presence. Being able to make her smile and laugh was enough to let you know that you were doing things right. Although you knew that after Yang was gone those worries would most likely come back.

After dinner you were both full and decided to hold off on dessert, there was still plenty of time to have it later during the night. You put the plates away and poured Yang another drink before taking things over to the couch to see if there was anything on TV. Before you sat down Yang's attention was drawn to some photos on the wall, looking surprised at one in particular. The photo was of a large group, your mother and thirteen year old you included.

"Are all those people your family?" she asked.

"Yup. All on my mom's side. She's the third oldest out of nine. Five brothers and three sisters. Each of them married and most have more than one kid."

"Your family is huge."

"Well my mom's side is. My dad was an only child just like me."

"I'm guessing that's your parents. Right?" Yang asked while looking at another picture next to the one she was just looking. Her assumption that the two individuals in it were your parents was correct. Both of them were much younger, just in their early twenties and just married. You were born almost a full ten years after that photo was taken.

"That's them alright."

Yang stared at the photo for several more seconds and you both sat down on the couch, but not before you lit some more candles on the coffee table.

"You never really talk about your parents much." Yang brought up.

"There's not much to talk about. They're good parents and I wouldn't trade them for the world, that's really all there is to them."

"Do they know about me?"

"Of course not."

It took you a second to realize that the blunt response you gave her could probably be taken the wrong way.

"Okay phrased that wrong. It's just that... well... if you knew my mother then you'd understand. She gets nosy when it comes to my personal life. It wouldn't surprise me if I had to write her a thousand word essay every time I come home from a date with you and explain every little detail..."

Yang chuckled at your remark.

"I'm sure she's not that bad."

"You'd be surprised. Can we just talk about something else?"

You put your arm on Yang's shoulder and in response she huddled in closer to you, her head resting against your shoulder. You turned on the TV and both of you began flicking through the channels with the hopes of trying to find something on. Neither of you found something that you really wanted to watch and stopped on a random channel, not really paying attention to what was playing. Barely half an hour passed before you turned the TV off, having paid no attention to whatever was on. It didn't take too long after it was switched of before things began to bet a bit more steamy between the two of you.

The silence was broken by Yang moaning softly in pleasure.

"Harder." she instructed you.

You complied with her.

"Oh yeah right there. Don't stop."

"I wonder what people would be thinking if they could hear you right now." you remarked.

"I can't help it. For someone who's never done this before you're pretty good at it."

"Beginners luck I guess."

You moved your hands slowly down to her lower back, your thumbs kneading into opposite sides of her spine. You then brought your hands up along her back, working your way up to her neck and briefly made circles around her shoulders before moving your hands back down and repeating the process several times, gaining an approving moan from Yang as you did. You brought them back up to her shoulders and began rubbing in circles with your thumbs again, this time holding it for a few minutes, alternating the direction and pressure in which you were rubbing every so often.

"That felt amazing." Yang complimented, once you finished.

"I'm getting the feeling you're gonna want this every time we meet up from now."

"Oh yeah." she replied, turning around to face you. "Especially after each match during the Vytal festival."

Her face began inching closer to your own as she smiled seductively at you and her arms wrapped around the back of your neck to pull you in closer. Once you were in close enough she put her forehead against yours, while your arms went around her waist. At that moment you were both unaware of anything going on around you. Even in complete silence neither of you heard the sound of the front door being opened. However there was no way you couldn't hear the sound of it being shut. You heard it just as your lips were about to meet Yang's, stopping the moment dead in its tracks.

"You can't be serious." you complained to no one.

"I thought you said they'd be out for the night." Yang said while putting her vest back on.

"Yeah they should be. Why now of all times?" you groaned.

The muffled voices of your parents grew closer. The door to the kitchen opened and your mom was the first to enter. You stood up from the couch to greet her. Before any word could escape her mouth she immediately noticed Yang looking at her from the couch.

"Hi." Yang greeted as she stood up from the couch.

"Mom. Dad. This is Yang." you awkwardly introduced.

Your mom smiled with a suppressed laugh before almost running over to greet Yang, you dad followed shortly after. Before she continued to speak with her, your mom went into the kitchen to prepare tea for everyone, despite insistence from both you and Yang that you were fine, which didn't stop her. After five minutes she ordered you into the kitchen to bring out everyone's cup, her following with two plates in hand, the first on holding biscuits and the second one carrying an assortment of small pastries.

"Yang help yourself to whatever you want from them, we have plenty." she insisted, sitting down on the chair that was close to the side of the couch Yang was sitting at. For almost an hour straight your mom continually questioned Yang, wanting to extract every piece of information from how you both met to how long you've been a couple and every little piece of information between, all while your dad listened in, occasionally adding something to the conversation. For a quick moment you managed to shoot Yang a look that said 'I told you', reaffirming your earlier statement that she would want to know everything.

As all this happened you watched in quiet frustration. Your parents had interrupted an intimate moment between you and Yang and had effectively cut off any chance you had of resuming. Sure you could take her up to your room for some privacy but you had a feeling your mom would interrupt, claiming she would just want to talk to her for a minute but end up going on for an hour. There was the fact that Yang seemed to genuinely be enjoying talking to your mother, a pleasant smile was constantly present on her face while the two conversed. You'd feel bad if you were to stop something she was enjoying.

"Don't worry he's a proper gentleman." Yang said, bringing you into the conversation. Having missed what was said before, you sat there awkwardly while everyone looked at.

"You finally with us again?" your dad remarked.

"Yang do you want some more tea?" your mom asked.

"No thanks." she declined, putting her hand up to stop your mother from getting up, then standing up herself. "I'm gonna have to go."

"Wait what?" you almost shouted.

"I have to go now if I want to catch the last airship."

"Has it been that long already?"

You checked the time on your scroll, sure enough it was getting late. Your frustration grew upon realising how much time had been spent with your parents.

"And to think we would've missed out on meeting you if we didn't decide to leave early." your mom said.

"Come on I'll walk you out." you said.

"Yang it was lovely meeting you. I hope we'll see you again sometime soon." Your mom said.

"It was nice meeting the both of you too. Thanks for everything."

Once again you practically dragged Yang outside. It was almost a relief when you shut the door.

"Your mom is so nice." Yang commented, the smile still present from when she was talking with her.

"Your pretty much part of the family now." you sighed. "You were getting extra special treatment since you're my girlfriend."

"She's just so kind."

"Yeah she is. She's like that with everyone. I think it's impossible for her to dislike anyone, let alone hate someone."

"I could think of a few that she might."

You reached her bike and said your goodbyes. Yang enveloped you in a tight hug.

"This was nice night."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Hey what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." you replied.

"Is it because of your parents walking in earlier?"

"Yeah." you hesitantly responded.

To liven your spirit she pulled you into a deep kiss that lasted several seconds.

"I was upset too." she reassured. "Next time we'll have some privacy."

You couldn't help but admire her optimism.

You watched her drive off and went back in. Upon re-entering the kitchen you noticed your mom had a big grin on her face.

"(y/n) she's wonderful."

"Yeah she is."

Once again you hid your frustration.

"Couldn't hide her from us forever (y/n)." your dad stated, probably knowing that they had interrupted your make out session with Yang, and making it sound like them coming was almost karma for not telling them about her sooner. At least that's how you interpreted it. You thought about Yang's last words to you before she left and how she seemed almost certain that you would have some privacy next time you'd meet up. You decided to make sure that with certainty that you'd be guaranteed to be alone and now that your parents knew about Yang you could put an idea that you had for a while into motion.

"Hey..." you began. "... I was wondering..."


	9. Three Weeks in Three Days: Part 1

Patiently you stood by your car, watching an incoming airship with the hope that it was carrying the one person in all of Remnant you were looking for. Immediately you took out your scroll to let her know where to find you once she got out. With that done you opened the back seat of the car and inspected all the items you had placed there early, making sure they were still present. A change of clothes, toiletries, junk food, disposable barbecue, all present and accounted for, as they had been for the last couple of times you checked on them.

She couldn't come fast enough.

The last time you saw Yang was three weeks ago, when you had invited her over for dinner. The weekend after when you were meant to meet up, you had caught mild food poisoning and had to cancel. After that Yang was unable to meet up for the next two weeks, having to train for the Vytal festival which would start the week after next.

Originally you thought that it would be a while before this weekend would happen, but now that your parents knew about Yang you were to make it happen much sooner. You planned it to take place after the Vytal festival, but three weeks of not seeing your girlfriend made you decide to move it up. Yang had no idea where you were taking her and probably assumed she was just staying at your house for the weekend. After all, the only thing you told her was to pack a few essentials for the weekend and you'll meet her once she's off the airship.

When you looked back around you spotted her approaching. Immediately you noticed she wasn't her normal self, looking exhausted and irritated. She did perk up however when she noticed that you were looking at her, picking up her pace as she walked towards. After reaching you she threw herself into your embrace, making you fall back against the car.

"Hey." she greeted weakly.

"Everything alright?"

"Just tired. That's all."

"Lets get going then." you suggested, taking her bag from her and placing it in the backseat.

"What's with the stuff in the back? Are we going somewhere." Yang asked as she got in the passenger seat.

"We are. But don't bother asking. It's a surprise."

You reached into the backseat and pulled out your jacket.

"Here." you said handing it to her. "It's a two hour drive to where we're going so if you wanna get some sleep on the way then use this to rest your head on."

"Thanks." she smiled, accepting the jacket and turning it into a makeshift pillow. "I just want to get out of here."

"Couldn't agree with you more." you replied and started up the car. Soon enough you were out on the road. Yang fell asleep shortly afterwards, leaving you with just the radio playing to make the time pass. Occasionally you heard her breathing or saw her moving slightly from the corner of your eye.

The thought of spending the weekend alone with her was enough to brighten you up and get you through the journey. You had spent the last couple of weeks working almost nonstop so you could make this weekend happen. Not seeing Yang for so long was unfortunate and at times frustrating when you found yourself practically craving her presence. You wondered if she felt the same way you did. You assumed from her attitude and the way she threw herself into your embrace earlier that she hasn't been having the best of days, maybe even weeks.

Whatever the reason, you hoped that this weekend would be what she needed.

Finally you reached your destination and immediately you got out to stretch your legs once you parked the car. You then reached in and nudged Yang gently. While she yawned and stretched her arms, you went over to her side and opened the door for her.

"Where are we?" she asked as she stepped out. The first thing she was greeted with was the sight of trees, grass and the path you drove up which lead out to the road.

You tapped her on the back and gestured for her to turn around. Her eyes widened once she saw the two storey lake-house that stood behind you both.

"What'd you think? We have the place to ourselves the whole weekend and..."

The air was almost completely knocked out of you from the sudden force of Yang squeezing you in a tight hug. The moment you regained it Yang immediately smashed her lips into yours for a deep kiss. You could easily tell that her usual energy was returning.

Once she stopped you escorted her in. Upon opening the door you were met with a massive living room. Similar to your house back in the city, the kitchen was also in the same room. In the centre of the room were two couches, a two seater and a standard three seater alongside two armchairs. They were all arranged in a manner that would allow anyone sitting on them to view the TV without problem. There was also two passages on opposite ends. One led to the dining room which was also where the backdoor was located. The other was where the downstairs bathroom was located along with two bedrooms. Close enough to the front door was a winding staircase leading up to the second floor where there were more bedrooms.

You had come up the previous day to make sure the place was ready for you both, putting fresh sheets on the beds. You weren't sure how long ago the last time someone had been to the place was, but it was fairly clean with only a tiny bit of dusting that had to be done.

You suggested to Yang to try out one of the couches while you went back out to bring in all your stuff from the car. When you returned you saw her lying back on the three person couch in comfort, stretching out her arms.

"You were right." she remarked as you went into the kitchen to store the food you brought up. "This couch is amazing. Don't keep me waiting over here."

"Oh I have no intention of keeping you waiting"

"How were you able to get this place?" Yang inquired.

"It's a holiday home owned by my mom's side of the family."

Yang let out a heavy yawn.

"Reminds a bit of my home back on Patch."

As you took out the last of the food you realised something was missing, the burger meat for the barbecue. You could've sworn they were there the multiple times you checked on everything. You had hoped to spend the rest of the day at the house, hence the reason you brought up the disposable barbecue, so you wouldn't have to head into the nearby town for dinner and could relax at the house for the night.

"Hey Yang..."

There was no response from her. You walked over to her and saw that she was after falling asleep again. Not wanting to wake her up, you walked away and decided to head out, get the burgers and come back as quick as possible. You didn't want to leave Yang alone but it would only be a short drive over and back from the house to the town, and she was more than capable of taking of herself if anything were to happen. With any luck, you'd be back before she'd wake up.

Without further hesitation you quickly wrote down a note explaining to her where you were gone should she wake up, and left it in a spot where she would find it. Bolting out the door and into the car, you could've sworn that you were breaking the speed limit once you were on the road. It was the same thing once you had purchased the burgers, another mad rush to the car and back to the house.

When you returned Yang was gone from the couch, the note you left her was missing from the spot where you placed it, indicating she had found it. You spotted her out her the back, sitting on the small, well-maintained, wooden dock. You placed the meat in the fridge and went out to her. She managed to hear you and turned around as you approached.

"Room for one more?" you asked. In response she moved slightly to the side, allowing you to sit next to her. Once you sat down she pushed herself up underneath your arm and nuzzled against you. Stretched out ahead was the lake, appearing as if it were endless. In the distance you could spot someone water skiing along with one or two boats that had people fishing from them.

"Sorry I was gone." you apologised.

"Don't sweat it. Sorry I fell asleep."

"Can't say I blame you. Usually happens to me whenever I lie down on that couch."

"I needed to rest for a few minutes. I didn't get much sleep this week."

"I kinda figured that out. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." she sighed.

"Are you sure? Because you seemed like something was troubling you the last time we..."

"It's fine." she interrupted, her voice sounding more stern when she did. "Can we just leave it for now? I'll tell you later."

"Okay then. But you know I'm here for you if something is bothering you?"

"I know."

She placed a quick peck on your cheek before resting her head against your shoulder.

You lost track of how long you were out on the dock. It was only when you both felt hungry that you decided to leave. You set up the barbecue outside and managed to make a satisfactory meal. By the time you began eating the sun was beginning to set and it was a good hour or two after you had finished before you made the decision to go inside.

For the rest of the night you both decided to watch TV. While Yang flicked through the channels you went into the kitchen to prepare a bowl of popcorn.

"Anything on?" you asked while placing some drinks and a large bag of sweets on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"I don't know. How about this?"

What looked to be a cheap horror movie was playing. The microwave went off and you returned to the kitchen momentarily before re-emerging with the popcorn and placing it on the couch between you both.

Any interest in the movie diminished quickly.

"Hey." Yang nudged. "Catch."

Before you could react a single piece of popcorn bounced off your head.

"Ok your turn." you said while taking a piece from the bowl and tossing it at her, which she happily caught in her mouth. Yang then reached into the bowl and pulled out another piece which you caught after it was tossed.

"Second time's the charm." Yang commented.

"Alright try this."

You took a piece and got up off the couch, crouching at the end opposite Yang and flicked it at her so it flew at her like a tiny projectile. With little effort she caught it.

"That the best you can do?" she teased.

"Try it with your eyes closed then."

She did as you instructed and closed her eyes. You counted to three and threw several pieces at her, neither of which she caught.

"Already cheating." she remarked

"I'm just upping the game." you replied, sitting back on the couch. "Too much for a huntress in training?"

"Very funny." She said sarcastically.

She then rose from the couch and placed the bowl down on the table before moving over to you and promptly straddled onto your lap. Her arms shot around the back of your neck so she could pull herself in closer, while yours wrapped around her waist, ensuring that she was secured in her position. A giddy smirk grew on her face as it moved in closer to you own until you could feel the slight tickle of her breath against it. Your heart began beating faster with excitement.

Her lips softly pressed into yours and in an instant a pleasant, indescribable sensation surged through your entire body. It was something that you always felt whenever she kissed you. Shortly into the kiss you felt something else, something unfamiliar. Her tongue. Your own joined in swiftly, once you recognised what it was, as if it were instinct. At first it was chaotic and awkward, but you eventually got the hang of things and soon enough your tongues were passionately dancing with one another.

You allowed yourself to slide back into the couch to get into a more comfortable position, while your hands slid down from her waist to her legs, briefly brushing against her rear, so you could gently push her up. This caused her grip on you to tighten. A soft moan came from her before the need for air forced her to briefly retreat.

Once she had the air she needed, she began what could only be described as an onslaught of quick, aggressive kisses against your lips. Around the sixth one she crashed her lips into yours and held the it for longer. Once you felt her tongue returning your own retreated back and allowed it to explore around your mouth. Her tongue churned around while your own showed little resistance.

Again the need for oxygen forced her to retract, although this time you could still feel the tip of her tongue in your mouth when she inhaled. When you resumed, you both engaged your tongues in a brief battle for dominance over the other. Despite putting up an admirable effort, you were eventually defeated and let her tongue explore around your mouth once again.

"I've waited so long for this." she whispered to you.

In just a few short minutes you had both unloaded weeks of built up lust on one another. Despite how heated things got, when they had to come to their inevitable end you were still full of that same desire. Yang buried her face into your neck and affectionately began nuzzling you. While she did that you began to slowly lavish her neck with a trail of kisses in an act of complete devotion to her.

You kept the position with Yang on your lap long after you stopped. Her embrace felt so pleasant, so comfortable, that you never wanted it to break. The first day had gone so well you briefly worried that the rest of the weekend would only be downhill from there. But that was something that would go away after a good nights sleep.

You brought Yang upstairs to a room that you had prepared for her. Upon seeing the two person bed, she fell forwards into its comfort before switching on the lamp next to the bed. You left her to it and exited the room, entering the room next to hers. While you laid back on the bed for brief moment after getting ready, Yang stood in the door frame, dressed in her pyjamas.

"Seriously?" she asked. You looked at her in confusion, wondering what you had done. Instead of saying anything she simply walked forwards, picked you up on her shoulder and walked back into her room, turning off the light in your room as she did.

"Was that really necessary?" you asked after she placed you on her bed.

"Good night." she said as she crawled into bed with you once she turned off the lamp. She then gave you a quick kiss before facing the same side you were while taking your arm and making sure it was around her.

"Good night." you smiled, placing one more kiss on her cheek before you went to sleep.


	10. Three Weeks in Three Days: Part 2

The first thing to strike you after waking up was the absence of a blanket, save for a tiny fraction covering your lower leg. The warmth you had felt going to sleep the previous night had all but disappeared, replaced by the cool morning air that seeped in through an open window. Reaching out with your hand in an attempt to search for the missing blanket, only for it to meet with something else. It took you a second to process and come to the conclusion that you were touching Yang's shoulder.

When you moved around you saw that the blanket barely covered her as well, with just the lower part of her body covered while the rest of the blanket seemed to be falling off the bed. Your first instinct was to pull it back up, making sure that it's warmth would cover you both, and put your arm around her, the same way she put it around herself before going to sleep. Almost immediately she rolled over, allowing you to see her sleeping face, complete with a look of pure bliss; undoubtedly the most pleasant sight you've ever woken up to.

However, you also couldn't help but start snickering upon seeing how messy her hair had gotten during the night.

"What's so funny?" Yang groaned.

"Good morning." you greeted.

"Finally up?"

"I was up well before you." you claimed.

"Then who opened the window?"

"I thought you left that open last night."

"Nope. I was up about an hour ago, and opened it cause I was getting too warm."

Her arms wrapped around your neck and she moved her head from the pillow to your chest.

"So; anything you wanna do today?" you asked.

"Let's just stay in bed all day." she replied with a relaxed groan, snuggling into you.

The sound of her scroll going off caught the attention of both of you. Taking the scroll, Yang looked at it to see who was trying to contact her briefly before ignoring it and bringing her head back to its previous resting spot on your chest.

"Not gonna answer it?" you asked.

"It's just Ruby. She was tried to call me a bunch of times yesterday. I'm sure if it was something important she'd have someone else try to call me."

You placed your hand on the back of her head. Your fingers began to unwittingly start fidgeting with her messy hair.

"You know, if anyone else was doing that I'd probably break their fingers." she remarked, her voice still relaxed and her face still resting in your chest.

"But as your boyfriend I get a free pass?"

"You could say that. But it's mostly because you have magic fingers." she joked. One of her hands reached out and removed yours from her hair, her thumb stroking it softly. "And I wouldn't want something like that to happen to them."

You chuckled at her comments.

"This is so much better than last the time." Yang muttered.

 _"The last time?"_

You pondered what she meant by that. The first guess you made was that she was on about sleeping together, but as far as you understood this was your first time. Until you realised it wasn't. You had shared a bed with her back in Beacon and upon that realisation a flood of guilt washed over you.

You had passed out and by the time you woke up you were the only person in the bed, meaning that you couldn't remember sleeping in the bed with her. Something that should have been an intimate moment in your relationship instead turned into what you could only assume to be an awkward and uncomfortable night, with her trying to make sure that your unconscious body didn't fall out of the one person bed.

 _"Gotta make it up to her. Gotta make it up."_

"Hey; wanna have breakfast in bed?" you suggested.

"Sounds good." Yang responded, perking up.

"I'll get a start on it then." you stated while sitting on the edge. "What do want to eat? We have..."

You sharply jolted up when Yang placed her cold feet on your back, soliciting a surprised exclamation from you. When you turned around Yang had already erupted in a small fit of laughter.

"Sorry..." she giggled. "... but I couldn't resist. Stay like that for a minute. Your back is nice and warm."

She trailed the length of your back with her big toe, sending a tingle through your spine. You reached around with your arm and managed to trap on of her legs. Without wasting time you began a tickling assault against the sole of her foot, trying to find the spots that would get the biggest responses.

"How's this for magic fingers?"

"Stop! Stohohop!" she cried between fits of laughter. Her leg twitched and jerked in an attempt to get out of your grasp. Finally she was able to get you to stop with a good strike to the back of the head from a pillow.

"Oh it's gonna be like that now is it?" you grinned.

Slowly you took up your own pillow and swung it at her head. Yang easily avoided your attack and, seeing an opening, managed to strike you across the face. When you looked at her she had a playful grin on her face, indicating that she wasn't going to back down from your challenge.

"You're in trouble now." she teased.

Yang began the first assault with her pillow. Her attack was fast and vicious, forcing you to use your pillow as a makeshift shield. Your strategy was only half successful, with her landing just as much hits on you as you were able to block.

You decided that she had the advantage against you from being so close. You quickly sacrificed your pillow, knowing you could get another around the house, and playfully squeezed her sides, eliciting a short squeal from her. Seizing the opportunity, you bolted out of the room and down the stairs. Immediately you gathered all the cushions that were in sight, hiding behind one of the couches.

You spotted Yang stepping out from the room and onto the interior balcony. Around both her arms were both pillows, as if they were her gauntlets.

As she made her approach to the stairs you fired two cushions at her. Both of your projectiles were effortlessly punched out of the way by her. Once she saw where you were, Yang gave two strong punches sending both pillows flying from her arms and towards you, both of which were stopped by the couch you ducked behind.

Knowing that she was now defenceless, you popped up from behind the couch and flung another two cushions at her, which she avoided by crouching down behind the railings for protection. One of the cushions you flung at her bounced off the wall and landed near her. She seized the cushion and began making her way down the stairs.

You got from your cover so you could get with you remaining three cushions, her while she came down. She saw you approaching and threw her cushion at you from the cover of the railing, which missed you by a longshot. When were near the end of the staircase you fired the first cushion at her. Yang managed to catch it mid-air and fire it back at you, knocking the remaining two from your hand. Once you were disarmed Yang jumped down the remainder of the stairway, doing an impressive front flip forwards, grabbing the two cushions you dropped on the floor and getting into her fighting stance, all while you retreated backwards to avoid her colliding into you.

"Show off!" you exclaimed while retreating.

You picked up one of the pillows she threw earlier and attempted one final assault. Only seconds after it begun it was clear you were outmatched. Your clumsy swings were easily punched away by Yang's trained fighting skills. None of them managed to land a hit, no matter what direction they came from, while Yang managed to get a few strikes in and eventually knocked the pillow out of your hands.

"Surrender?" Yang asked with a mischievous grin.

Instead of surrendering, like you probably should've, you opted to run away again, this time escaping out the back door. Yang followed you shortly after. However, when you got outside you blindly ran in the direction of the wooden dock instead of somewhere else. It was only when you were about to run off the edge that you realised your mistake. Before you could fully turn around and run in another direction, you were struck by one of the cushions, sending you into the lake.

If you weren't fully awake when you got out of bed, you were after you hit the cold water and it closed over you. You re-emerged from the water after five seconds, shivering and gasping for air. Yang was already on the dock, roaring in laughter.

"You should've just surrendered when you had the chance..." she began once her laughter died down. "I wouldn't have punished you too harshly."

Yang made the naïve mistake of crouching down and extending her arm to help you out of the water. Seeing your opportunity, you pulled her towards you into the lake, getting a yelp from her as you did.

She emerged from the water shortly, while you chuckled at her. She joined in with your laughter after splashing you in the face with some water, which you responded to in kind. She pushed herself forwards and embraced you.

You both floated in the water for a moment, waiting for the adrenaline from your game to go down. Once you heaved your soaking bodies out of the water you both went for a warm shower and let your nightwear out to dry.

As a result of your playful fight, both you and Yang had worked up a hunger. Despite both being fully dressed you still held true to your word about having breakfast in bed. You left her in the room for a few minutes before returning with two plates consisting of eggs, bacon, potato waffles, sausages, and toast, alongside two cups tea.

The idea to stay in bed had been tossed aside earlier. You were both dressed, fully awake and the idea of staying in bed for the entire day seemed to have lost its appeal. You both decided to head into the town for a look around, and opted to walk a more scenic route than driving.

Not long after you began walking, Yang's scroll went off again. She reacted to it with a frustrated expression, seeming to know automatically who was calling her. It would seem that her guess was right. The moment she looked at it, an irritated groan escaped her mouth and she put her scroll back.

"Yang, is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." she replied bluntly.

"Something had you upset yesterday when I met up with you yesterday and you said that you'd tell me."

You took her hand and stopped walking, making her do the same.

"Can we just drop it please? It's nothing important."

"If it's stressing you out then I want to help you and if it's nothing important then you should just get it off your chest."

"Fine." she said reluctantly. "I got into a fight with Ruby before I left with you. She's been getting on my nerves for the last month getting the team ready for the Vytal festival. I'd be fine with it for the most part but..."

She paused momentarily and gritted her teeth.

"But what?"

"She's the reason I couldn't meet up with you for the last two weeks. She didn't want me seeing you because she thought my time would be better spent training."

"Wait, am I getting in the way of your training?"

"No. Of course not."

You both resumed walking, still holding hands.

"I can make time for training and you. But Ruby didn't think I could and I just snapped at her before I left with you, even though we were meant to be training."

"But I thought you enjoyed all that stuff. Aren't you excited for the fighting tournament?"

"I am." Yang sighed. "But everything we've been doing for the last month sapped any enjoyment I had for it. Add that to the fact that I wasn't able to be with you and... I just needed to cool down."

She let out another sigh.

"Do you think I was wrong to give out to her? She didn't even know that it was bothering me and just went about things like her usual self, probably thinking it was just a small little sacrifice that had to be made."

"I can't say if it was right or wrong. Sometimes frustration builds up and we just snap. How are you feeling about it now?"

"I don't know. I know she didn't mean any of it and freaking out at her probably wasn't the best thing to do."

"Well, what's done is done. I think the best thing to do is to just talk things over with her."

You mentally kicked yourself for not being able to say more, feeling like the advice you had just given her was something anyone else would say. Still she decided to take your advice, even if it was the most basic you could give.

One small positive that you took from everything was that you learned she missed you as much as you did her during your time apart. It was something that helped reassure you from some worries you had that still persisted.

Shortly after the town came into view. Both you and Yang popped into several shops, browsing for anything that might catch your eyes.

"This place has barely changed since the last time I was here." you commented.

"How long ago was that?"

"When I was about nine years old. Used to come out every now and again for a week with my parents and some of my cousins when I was little."

"Why'd you stop coming?"

"I don't know. Just kinda stopped. I guess I didn't see much point in coming up here anymore. Unless of course I'm with the best girl in the entire world."

Your compliment gained a smile from Yang while you pulled her in closer. Yang's head turned to the side facing away from you so she could catch a glimpse of what any of the shops you walked by had to offer.

"Looking for anything in particular?" you asked.

"A whip." she responded quickly.

"For what? Are you thinking of getting a new weapon? Because I think there's a weapons place..."

"Not that kind of whip." she said with a playful grin before whispering into your ear. "I still have to punish you from this morning."

Your face grew slightly red and your jaw dropped when you realised what she meant.

"You should see your face." Yang chuckled. "I'm starting to think I should get one now."

"You were joking?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."

A slew of thoughts suddenly filled your head.

"If you're not then this is a whole new side of you I'm seeing."

From the corner of your eye you spotted something on one of the shops. It was a small poster, advertising a festival to celebrate the founding of the town. You had seen one the previous day when you left to get the burgers.

"Wanna go to this later on?" you asked Yang, drawing her attention to the poster. "I was thinking we'd go out for dinner tonight and this looks like it could be fun."

"Sounds like a plan." she replied. "Now let's find that whip."


	11. Three Weeks in Three Days: Part 3

When you arrived at the event with Yang immediately you felt immediately put off once you saw the large crowd of people. While it was expected that there would be a crowd, mostly families from the looks of it, there. Based on previous events you had gone to in the town years ago, you weren't expecting half as many people to be there.

Despite possibly being overcrowded, it did look impressive. A stage was set up for a band, that was already playing when you arrived, alongside a large dancefloor which overlooked the lake. Nearby was a vast assortment of tables lined with food, allowing attendants to choose as they will, as well as a place for people to sit down. By sheer luck you managed to find a spot for yourselves after getting your food and wading through the large crowd so as not to drop either of your plates.

"Bit too family friendly for the two us huh?" you remarked as several small kids ran past your table.

"At least the food's good." Yang replied.

"I just had to suggest coming here."

"Don't put yourself down over it." your girlfriend reassured. "We can just leave after we finish dinner if you want."

"If you want to."

"We're always doing the things I want. You know that if there's somewhere you want to go or if you're not enjoying something, all you have to do is tell me?"

"I know." you responded. "But is too corny to say that it doesn't matter where we go as long I'm with you."

Yang chuckled at your response.

"It is..." she began.

"I figured."

"... but it's also sweet of you."

"How'd I get so lucky have her in my life?" you muttered to yourself.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself. Are you sure there's nothing here you wanna do?"

"Nothing we can't do back at the house."

You finished dinner quickly and left without any hesitation, cursing yourself over what turned out to be a disappointing evening. It was one of those few times where you made the suggestion on where to go for a date and all it did was prove to be a low point on a weekend that had been going great so far. Yang easily noticed your disappointment on the drive back.

"I thought you weren't gonna beat yourself up over it." Yang reminded you, sounding slightly more stern than usual.

"We barely even left for an hour." you complained while dropping down onto the couch.

"Why does that matter?" she asked while standing in front of you the same way a parent might face a child they were about to scold.

"Because I wanted to take you on a great night out and now we're back here."

"So what? I thought the whole point of this weekend was just for us to be alone together."

"It is."

"Then what's the problem if one date isn't all that good? We have an entire weekend to ourselves here, something that you made happen."

"And you deserve so much more."

You could've sworn you saw Yang jump the slightest bit when you almost shouted that out, although it was probably just your imagination. It could be assumed she was taken aback by you raising your voice, given the moments silence where you both awkwardly stared at one another. There was probably no way you could convince her to just drop it so you figured it would be best to tell her and avoid any conversation where you'd go back and forth before finally relenting and telling her anyway.

"It's just not enough."

"(y/n) where's this coming from?" Yang asked, taking a seat next to you on the couch.

"Just look at you Yang. Look at the person you are. You can make friends with just about anyone, you're funny, you're beautiful, and you're just... so great... I don't even know how I can describe you and how you make me feel; you're just amazing..."

You took a deep sigh before continuing.

"You could have anyone you want and probably have guys lining up so they could be with you. Out of everyone... you picked me. I'm not a huntsman, I can't give you the life of adventure and excitement that you want, I wanted a life like that as well. I'm just some guy who works in the family store, pretty boring when compared to all the guys at Beacon; any of them would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend. And because I can't give you that life... and if I don't give everything else more than one hundred percent... then I'm just not good enough."

There it was. The moment you told her about feeling unworthy to be her boyfriend. Everything up to that moment, every second you spent with her, all of that happened because of Yang. You would've never worked up the courage to ask her out, or even ask her for a dance the night you first met; all because you thought there were better people than you she could choose from.

"Don't say that." Yang chided. "Everything you just, never say that again."

You tried to respond to her only to be cut off.

"You're right; I had plenty of guys coming up and asking me out before I met you and, for a while, after I began dating you. I've no shortage of guys coming up to me, showing off and trying to impress me, and then there's you. For a while all I knew about you was from Ivan telling stories about the things you got up to... and I thought you were a lot like him. Loud, wanting to be the centre of attention, that's just what I thought his best friend would be like; but you weren't. I wanted to know the person who was in those funny stories, which is why I came over to you that night and asked you to dance with me. I had a fun time with you and I wanted to have more."

She stood up from her spot to face you directly.

"Sure, I love being a huntress, and I want to go out and get caught up in as many adventures as I can. But I don't need you or anyone else to give that to me."

"Then why do you want to be with me?"

"Because you're not like any of the guys that are always hitting on me. You're a nice person to be around, I have fun with you, and you make me happy, and you don't have to be huntsman to do any of that. Don't worry yourself about all of that and just be my boyfriend..."

She gestured for you to stand up, which did after a brief second of hesitation. One hand reached to the back of your head and pushed it towards her until your forehead rested against her own.

"... Don't ever think you're not good enough for me." she spoke softly.

Your own arms went around her waist and pulled her in so your lips could connect. You had wanted to avoid this moment all together and just enjoy whatever time you had with her, feeling that Yang would one day get bored of you, but she didn't. At that moment you were told that you had no reason to worry and Yang's words made everything you felt for her skyrocketed in an instant. There was only one way you could put it.

"Yang..." you said quietly once the kiss broke. "... I love you."

A quiet gasp escaped her, followed by a warm smile.

"You said it." Yang smiled.

"Yeah. I did."

"I love you too." Yang responded.

You tightened your embrace on her and, in a bold move, lifted her off the ground. This caused her to give off a cute yelp which quickly turned into laughter while her legs wrapped around you in addition to her hands. This lasted several seconds before you eventually fell back onto the couch, still laughing.

Unfortunately time passed very quickly after that moment and once again you both retired to bed. Unlike the previous night, Yang didn't have to carry you into the room, you knew full well you would be sleeping in the same bed. Yang refused to let go of her embrace around you, holding you tighter than ever before, and you did the exact same thing. Not once did your hold on one another loosen up; even when it became too uncomfortably warm. It was only when you both fell asleep that you finally let go.

The last day of the weekend rolled around. You woke up that morning once again to the pleasant sight of Yang peacefully sleeping. This time though you were awake a good couple of minutes before she did. The entire morning was spent in bed together, like Yang had suggested the previous morning before you began messing with one another. Unlike the previous day where you both would've spent the entire day in bed, due to the fact you were leaving later on, you only stayed in bed for around three hours. But all things considered it was a good three hours, consisting of nothing but cuddling, kissing the odd bit of light petting and a massage that almost turned awkward from a combination of Yang not wearing a shirt, her moaning, the position you took where you straddled around her rear and the occasional moment where your hands would briefly touch the sides of her breasts; all of it had an effect on your nether region, which you fortunate enough to prevent Yang from noticing.

With heavy reluctance, you both dragged yourselves out of bed and got dressed. The first thing you did was pack up and tidy the house, letting you both enjoy the rest of your time at the lake house. That evening as the sun was beginning to set, you decided to head back.

Briefly you lamented with Yang the fact that you had to leave before getting in the car and driving off.

"Back to reality now." Yang stated, clearly feeling relaxed and refreshed, much different from when you picked her up on Friday. You had hoped that this weekend would be what she needed, and you were right. It brought you great happiness knowing that you were able to make her feel like that. But that was nothing compared to how great it telling her that you love her for the first time and her responding with the same.

"I don't know about you, but this was without a doubt the best weekend of my life." you claimed, gaining a smile from her.

"Don't think I've had any that can top it." Yang replied. "Too bad it's over now."

"For now anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"How about we come up again during the summer? For an entire week?"

"I'd kiss you so much right now if you weren't driving."

"I'm sure I could pull over if you like."

Yang chuckled briefly before placing a quick kiss on your cheek.

"I'm already looking forward to it." she said. "I'll be sure to get a whip beforehand."

An hour into the drive home you noticed that things were quiet. Yang wasn't sleeping, everyone now and again she made a passing comment or begin messing with the radio in the car to find a song she liked. For the most part she kept her head rested against the window; a quick glance at her and you noticed a small, relaxed smile on her face, meaning nothing was bothering her.

"Something on your mind?" you asked her.

"Just thinking about something. I'll tell you about it when we get back."

"Ok then. I noticed you were pretty quiet. Just making sure everything's ok."

"Everything's great." she smiled.

"Good to hear. Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?"

"Well next weekend is the last before the Vytal festival; and I was thinking that you might be busy with training so... maybe..."

"We should just put off the date we usually have?" Yang responded, clearly not liking the idea."

"Yeah."

"I was thinking the same thing." Yang sighed. "It's just one day I guess."

"Don't forget I'm gonna be up every day of the Vytal festival cheering you on louder than anyone else; and I guess Ivan to some extent."

Yang laughed at your comment.

"I'm gonna check the stands to make sure you are."

The familiar sight of the city came into view, signalling that your weekend away was over. A couple minutes after entering you had reached the same spot where you met up with Yang on Friday.

"Home at last." you remarked as while bringing the car to a stop. Before you could unbuckle your seat belt Yang reached over and smashed her lips into your own for a long, deep kiss.

"That's for such a great weekend." she said pulling away from you. "Think you can last the week without me?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." you replied as you exited the vehicle. "I'll be fine. Once I get past the hundred page essay my mom probably wants from me about our weekend."

You leaned back against the car with her while you both waited for the airship, looking up at the night sky as you huddled together.

"So..." Yang began. Your attention was immediately focused on her. "...I've been thinking about this for a while now; and if I knew we were going away this weekend I would've prepared for it."

Yang stopped leaning against the car so she could look you directly for what she was going to say next.

"After the Vytal Festival... I want to have sex with you."

You struggled to find the right words to reply with. What she said caught you off guard and the reaction you had made Yang chuckle.

"I take it you're on board?" she commented.

"Of course." You managed to blurt out. Yang's arms wrapped around you and she pulled herself in closer.

"I figured that I'd need something to celebrate if I won, or if I lose..." Her head moved in closer to yours. "... then someone's gonna have to cheer me up."

Gently her embrace made you lean harder against the car.

"We still have a few minutes before the airship arrives. Let's have one more bit of fun before I go."

Before you could muster a response, her lips met with yours once again. From then until the airship arrived they hardly parted, save for when they had to take a quick breath.

Nothing could describe how you felt after she left. You were still trying to process what she said to you while thoughts of what was to come began to fill your head. Of course you had fantasized about that moment on numerous occasions, you'd even be lying if you said that you didn't fantasize about getting physical with her before you began dating. How could not?

But this would be something beyond just two people acting on hormones and lust. It was you and the person you love consummating your relationship. It was going to be an important moment for you both and you already had every intention to make it a special moment for her. You had more than a week, plenty of time to prepare.

"Can't wait for it Yang."


	12. Countdown in: 3

After a week that went by rather quickly, save for the last day or two which dragged on almost painfully slow, the Vytal festival had begun. Ivan and his team were among the first matches of the day. After they had won their match there was still several more before Yang had her. By the time Yang's match was over you wanted nothing more than to leave and congratulate her, and by extension her team, over a well-earned victory. Watching her fight for the first time was truly a spectacle to behold, and seeing her enjoy every moment of it made you smile knowing that she had sorted things out with her sister. What didn't make you smile was having to wait to see her. The seat you got was located high up in the stands, which was a pain to get to and almost resulted in you missing Ivan and his teams match. Yang had told you that both her team and team DINO would be watching team JNPRs match, which took place a couple matches after her own, along with another team which you were unfamiliar yet. You opted to stay in your seat until they left the colosseum for the day, not wanting to wait around the fairgrounds alone or go through the hassle of going down and back up more than once.

Fortunately you didn't have to stay as long as you thought. Ivan sent you a message saying he'd be leaving after JNPRs match, giving you the opportunity to leave earlier. You grabbed your backpack and ran down to greet him.

"Good job on winning earlier." you congratulated your friend.

"Thanks." he yawned. "I can't wait til this is over though."

"Tired of it already?"

"No." he replied, letting off a heavier yawn. "The time leading up to this has been... exhausting."

"Meaning?"

"Deena."

"I need a bit more than that."

"I'm not gonna tell you more than that."

"Oh I think I get it now." you smirked.

"Not like that!" Ivan said defensively.

"Do you both make Owen and Nima leave the room for a while or do you have a secret place for it." you joked.

"I'd kill you right now if I wasn't saving my strength for tomorrow."

You wandered around the fairground with Ivan while waiting for everyone. You scanned each stall to see if there was anything there you could do with Yang, or if there was a place where you could win something for her. A quick glance at a TV in one of the stalls showed that the match Yang was watching had ended.

"Please get here quickly." you muttered impatiently.

"Getting withdrawal symptoms from not sucking face with her?" Ivan remarked. "I thought your weekend away with would've been enough to hold you over."

"Alas my dear friend one week is far too long to be away from my beloved golden haired angel." You replied, putting on an over the top act to mess with your friend.

"Don't ever talk like that again. Please."

"Well you're not the only one who has something to look forward when this is all over." you muttered to yourself, this time Ivan didn't hear.

"Soooo..." Ivan began. "... what did you two get up to while you were away."

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes please."

"Not a chance bud."

"You're no fun."

Any further attempts by your friend to extract just the tiniest bit of information from you were met with a no from you. Eventually you spotted Yang and her team walking around with Ivan's' team. You called out for her, only for it to be drowned out by the commotion of the fairground. You attempted to call her again but to no avail. You went after her and tapped her on the shoulder once you caught up. Before you could say anything to her she jumped into your arms and smashed her lips into yours, almost making you fall over while she kissed you with a surprising amount of energy, even for her.

"You were fan..."

Before you could even congratulate her, she brought her lips down on you again, barely giving you the chance to take a proper breath.

"Wow you were right." Ivan remarked as he caught up while Yang stopped. "One week really was too long."

"Can I finally breath now?" you asked Yang, who giggled at your question. "Not that I'm complaining."

"You don't know 'Xiao Long' I've been waiting for it." Yang said, gaining a collective groan from everyone except you, giving her a god, honest chuckle.

"Please don't encourage her." Ruby implored you.

"I guess it was really 'Vytal' that I got to you so." you said to Yang, getting an even louder groan from everyone.

"Well my best friend is dead." Ivan claimed.

"I think it's cute." Nima gushed.

"Heyyy look at that..." Owen began. "... my best friend is also dead."

"Come on (y/n)." Yang suggested, taking you by the arm and dragging you away from everyone.

"Wait where are you going Yang?" Ruby asked.

"To our room. Don't bother coming in unless it's important."

"Talk to you later." you said before stopping Yang from dragging you so you could walk on your own.

Together you both exited the fairgrounds holding hands while you walked to the dorms.

"You were fantastic out there." you said to Yang. "How're you feeling after it?"

Her response was to stop and grab you in a tight hug.

"That good huh?" you managed to squeeze out. "Okay Yang I need to breath."

"Sorry." Yang chuckled, releasing you from her grasp. "I just feel so great after that and pumped. Come on let's get some privacy and take it easy for the rest of the day."

"Should I carry you to the room so?" you joked. Despite that she gladly took you up on your offer, removing your backpack and taking its spot while putting it around her own.

"Aren't you just the sweetest, most thoughtful boyfriend ever?" she cooed into your ear.

"You know I was joking, right?"

"Too bad." Yang replied, snuggling her head into your neck.

"I guess you do deserve it." you commented while getting a better hold of her legs.

To your surprise, you were able to carry Yang the entire length of the fairgrounds to her room. Along the way you overheard the occasional snicker or someone finding what you were doing to be adorable. However, by the time you reached the room it was a relief to put her down.

When Yang opened the door you were both immediately greeted by a barking dog.

"Oh no (y/n) I forgot..." Yang said while crouching down. When she turned around she was holding Zwei in her arms. "...I'm after finding someone cuter. Sorry."

As if on cue, Zwei barked.

"Oh, no need to apologise Yang, I understand completely." You said while scratching Zwei beneath his chin, much to the small dogs' delight. "There's no man in the world that could compare to him."

Yang put Zwei back down, letting him bounce off around the room. Yang proceeded to get up onto her bed, removing her jacket as she walked over to it, gesturing for you to join her.

"You sure it's okay for us up here?" you asked. "There's not much room."

"We'll be fine." Yang replied while removing her boots, letting off a sigh of satisfaction once the last one was off. "We just need to compromise."

Yang instructed you to lie down on the bed and then proceeded to lie down on top.

"Like that." she commented.

Your hand reach up behind her head and pulled it closer to your own and began teasing her with several brief pecks to both her upper and lower lips. She chuckled at your playful behaviour before bringing you into a more passionate kiss, moaning softly while you surrendered yourself to the kiss. You let her tongue in once you felt it demanding entrance into your own mouth. Once it was in it began to swirl around furiously while your own waited passively for several seconds before finally meeting with it. Once Yang felt it her own tongue retreated back to allow yours to explore around her mouth. You wasted no time, repeating the same thing Yang did inside your mouth.

The pesky need for air once again force you to stop for a moment. However when you went back Yang playfully placed a finger on lips.

"Better leave something for the main event." Yang teased.

As upset as you were, it was hard not to agree with her.

"You tease."

"Too bad. You said you love me so now you're stuck with me." Yang said playfully.

"You're right. I love you so much."

You placed several quick kisses on her neck while you ran a finger through her hair, much to her delight, encouraging you to begin stroking it with your entire hand. Yang buried her head into you, enjoying the sensation.

"You're the only one who can get away that." Yang murmured.

"I know."

For the past week you thought about nothing but Yang and the night you would be having together once the festival was over. You fantasised about every second of it, including at inappropriate times. Each time you imagined the moment of consummation you grew more excited and after experiencing the energy she kissed you with earlier when you met up, you could only imagine what she would be like on the night, especially if she won.

Of course there was one thing that bothered you, and that was where it would actually happen. In hindsight you could've put more thought into it the week beforehand. As it stood, you were stuck for options. The first, most obvious choice, was your own room. It had a two-person bed, wasn't too far away, you could easily get it prepared; the only problem was that your parents would more than likely be there, as far as you knew they weren't planning on going out that night. Had you not already used up your chance at the lake house it would be the perfect place for it. Yang's' bed was out of the question; it was one person, in a room that she shared with three others, and the momentum could cause it to fall down.

"Watcha thinking about?" Yang asked.

"About how I'm gonna have get some earplugs so I don't have to listen to you snore when we're sleeping together."

"I don't snore." Yang said defensively.

"Oh yes you do. I have first-hand experience of it as well."

"I don't believe you."

"Let's find your teammates and hear what they have to say about it." you suggested, attempting to get down from the bed only for Yang to pull you back to her, tightening her grasp on you so that you couldn't get out of it no matter how much you tried.

"You're not going anywhere." she said playfully.

"Okay I won't leave. Can you let go?"

"Who doesn't snore?" Yang asked.

"Seriously?"

"Who doesn't snore?" she repeated.

"You."

"Who's the greatest girlfriend ever?"

"Oh come on."

"Answer the question." Yang ordered while tightening her hold.

"You are."

"Who do you love more than anything in the world?"

"You."

"That's better." Yang said before releasing her grasp.

"You should've known the answers to those questions without asking."

"I did. But I just wanted to hear you answer them."

"Does your ego really need it?"

"Yep."

"You know, I have an idea of where some of your ticklish spots are..." you began. Your hand went down and grabbed her foot, giving it a gentle squeeze. "...Right around here. What's to stop me from..."

"I just dare you to try." Yang goaded. "Go ahead. See what happens."

Your hand retracted.

"Good choice." she said with a cocky grin.

"Spoilsport."

"Aww. Would a kiss make you feel better?"

"I don't know; give it a try."

She gave your lips a quick peck.

"I think one more might just do it." you suggested, making Yang chuckle. "Actually, I have something to give you."

You jumped down from the bed to reach your backpack, producing a small box from it.

"Forgot about it for a second." you said while handing her the box. Yang opened it, revealing a bunch of small eclairs. "My mom made them for you last night. She didn't know if you'd like them so if you don't want them then she won't be offended. Her words, not mine."

"No that's... really nice of her." Yang smiled warmly before jumping down and putting the box to a safe spot. "I'll have them later. Tell her I said thanks."

"There's also something else I have for you. If you want it."

"What is it?" Yang asked, taking a seat on the bed below hers.

"Just a preview of what you're in for."

Your hand reached into your pocket to pull out your scroll. After a quick search you placed it on a bookshelf nearby and pressed play before turning your back to Yang.

" _I can't believe I'm gonna do this_." you thought, your face already turning red.

Techno music began to play from the scroll, starting off with a slow, quiet build-up before hitting its main beat. Once that beat started you began to shake your rear in sync with it, jumping around to face Yang after the first several seconds. Slowly she began to recognise what you were, giving a pleasantly surprised gasp. You took two steps forwards, threw your hands behind your head and changed your movements into pelvic thrusts. Yang covered up her mouth an began snickering heavily. It didn't last long, she began squealing with delight before going into a fit of laughter; all while you continued your performance for her.

Her reaction was the one you were expecting, and hoping for. Slowly your hands reached down to your shirt and began to peel it off. This gained some approving cheers from your girlfriend, who continued to encourage it with applauding until the whole shirt was off, resulting in one big cheer from her. By the time you began to twirl the shirt above your head it looked like she was laughing so hard it hurt. You continued to twirl the shirt while moving forwards, throwing it to her before you were directly in front of her. She began giggling furiously as she rose from the bed.

"More!" she exclaimed while you let her hands feel up your chest.

"Oh no." you said, taking her hands just as they were about to reach your pants, giving her a smug grin. "We gotta save something for the main event."

Upon hearing this Yang put on a pretend pouty face.

"Please. Just a little peak."

"Fine." you sighed sarcastically. "Since I love you."

You released her hands and let them slide down to your pants. Carefully she began to pull them down. She managed to get it down to your knees before an overly excited Ruby burst in through the door.

"Yang! Yang! Look who's..."

Her tone went from one of excitement to one of confusion once she you both frozen in place. Your first reaction was to pull your pants back up.

"...what're you doing?"

In the doorway stood a man with greying black, spiky hair who glared at you after catching a glimpse of what was going on between you both.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang shouted, tossing your shirt to you, her face blu

"Oh fu..." you almost shouted yourself before you caught your shirt and nearly tore it from how fast you put it back on.

"So this is the boyfriend you told me about?" Qrow said, clearly not impressed with what he saw.

"What did you tell him!" Yang scolded Ruby.

"I didn't tell him anything!" Ruby replied defensively. "I just told him you were with your boyfriend."

While the two sisters argued, you looked awkwardly at Qrow, who remained quiet and gave you a look that made you feel like he was about to kill you.

"You know what Yang? It's important for family to catch up and spend time together so I'm gonna leave you all alone. Call me later. Love you. Bye."

"Wait (y/n) he's not..."

Before Yang could finish you grabbed your scroll, stopped the music from playing, gave Yang a quick kiss on the cheek, which you probably shouldn't have done in front of her uncle, and bolted out the door with speed that surprised even yourself.

Since you had some free time, you decided to head back to the fairground while you waited until you could head back to Yang. Unfortunately you couldn't find anyone you were friendly with around so you sat down for a drink at one of the stalls to pass the time. A tap on the shoulder suddenly caught your attention. When you turned around Deena greeted you before taking the seat next to you and ordering a drink for herself.

"Yang throw you out already?" she asked.

"Nooooo." you replied. "What happened was... she's spending time with family right and her uncle walked in on us at an inappropriate moment."

"Okay." Deena chuckled, noticing your face turning red from embarrassment. "Don't need to tell me anymore if you don't want to."

"Thanks. So where's the rest of team DINO?"

"Nima and Owen are off enjoying the fair. Ivan is in bed asleep; he needs to rest up because he'll be fighting with me in the next round tomorrow."

"No?" you said in disbelief.

"I'm serious."

"I didn't think he was that tired."

"Better believe it."

"Then I need to ask. How? I swear that kid was breastfed caffeine; possibly something stronger."

"He owed me favour for making something happen a while back so I made him my partner for training. Up at six every morning for a few runs around the school, lots of push ups and sit ups, another few runs around the school late at night. That kind of stuff."

"Well I gotta commend you on that." you said, raising your drink to toast her.

"Cheers." Deena responded.

"Congratulations on winning earlier. Looks like you're doing a good job with the team. Nervous about tomorrows match?"

"Nah; we'll be fine. It's all in good fun anyway."

For a minute you sat in silence, trying to find something to say to keep the conversation going. You were unaware how Deena felt, but you began to feel like it was making things awkward. Luckily Deena finally spoke up.

"You know, I have a brother that looks a lot like you."

"Really?"

Deena nodded. "Almost a spitting image."

"How old is he?"

"A year older than me."

"Is he a huntsman?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what he's doing right now, or where he is."

"What happened?" you asked sympathetically. "If you don't mind me asking."

"It's nothing like that." Deena assured. "He left a few years ago; never came back home. He still calls me and my parents now and again, last time was just before I started here at Beacon. He doesn't tell us where he is, only that he's doing okay."

Deena froze momentarily before beginning to chuckle quietly.

"What?" you asked.

"I was just imagining how Yang might react if she saw you both at the same time. Think she could tell you apart?"

"I think she could."

"Maybe she'd want to do other things with you both."

"Oh come on!" you said through laughter once you realised what she was implying when she said 'other things'.

"Don't worry. You're the only one for her. She's crazy about you."

"I'm crazy about her too."

"Good to know things are going well between you two then."

"What can I say? I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"Well; I don't know you too well, but from what little I do, I can tell you're a good guy. So Yang's one lucky girl to have you."

"Speak of the devil." you remarked after getting a message from Yang. "Sorry Deena I have to..."

"You don't have to apologise. Go on, she's waiting."

"If I don't see you beforehand, best of luck to you tomorrow. Tell Ivan the same."

"Sure thing. Tell Yang if you both want some company on your special night I'm more than happy join in."

"Will do." you said back to her as you walked away, before properly comprehending what she just said and what it implied, making you stop. "Wait what?!"

"Gotcha."


	13. Countdown in: 2

The hours were counting down in your head. That big moment with Yang had just a day to go. Nervousness, excitement, the occasional bit of worry that you would mess it all up, were all things you experienced. The night had to be perfect for her and you would settle for nothing less, how you were going to accomplish that though remained to be seen.

You found yourself pondering that thought a lot, even as she happily sat in your while you did everything in your power to keep her lips connected with your own so she wouldn't pull the same thing she did the previous day, all while her teammates and friends looked away awkwardly, at least that's what you assumed. Your eyes were closed and even if they were open all that would be in your field of view was Yang's head, so you had no idea how your peers were reacting to the scene that was unfolding between you and her.

Unlike the day before where you were close to the top of the stands, this time Yang was able to get you sitting with her and the others, although there wasn't enough seats for one more so Yang happily relegated you to her own personal seat.

"Yang, can you please do that somewhere else?" Ruby complained, being stuck in the seat next to you.

Yang ignored her sisters' plea, instead opting to mess with her even more.

"I love you!" she exclaimed to you in an over the top, sugary, voice, nuzzling her nose against yours and planting a series of kisses against your cheek.

"Please stop." Ruby begged.

Again, Yang ignored her sisters' plea. If anything it only encouraged her to continue on her onslaught of affection, even roping you into joining her, acting like the most sickeningly sweet couple, much to Ruby's disgust. Yang simply chuckled at her sisters' reaction.

You poked your head to the side of Yang's to catch a glimpse of the current match to see if it had ended. Ivan and Deena would be fighting next, one of the few matches you had any real interest in watching. Yang had her match earlier and, much like the previous day, was still pumped up and full of energy and excitement, which she had spent the past several minutes unloading on you, furthering your hopes that she would win her last match.

Yang and Ruby began bickering, prompting you to take out your scroll and do some quick browsing while Yang wasn't looking. The same thing you were looking at the night before came up. While trying to think of where you and Yang were going to spend your big night together the idea that seemed to be the best was to get a room for the night. It wasn't cheap, but because you didn't sort things out the week beforehand, like you should have, it was the best thing that came to mind.

"What's this?" Yang asked, taking a peak at your scroll.

"It's for tomorrow night." you replied to her quietly so it was just between you both. "I was thinking of getting a room for us so we can."

"No." Yang responded bluntly, suggesting to you to put your scroll away.

"But where are we gonna..."

"You took me on a trip away, you've done enough. I'll sort this out."

"Okay then. But at least let me get the protection for tomorrow night."

"No."

"You're already after getting the condoms?"

"You're not wearing one tomorrow night."

You looked at her as if she was crazy for a moment.

"Uh Yang, you do know what can happen if I don't wear..."

"I'm after taking pills." she whispered to you, making sure that it was heard by no one else. "I want to feel the real thing. I want to feel you."

She looked at you confused for a moment when she saw you smile.

"What're you smiling about?"

"I had a feeling that deep down you were a big softy."

Your girlfriend rolled her eyes at your comment.

"You just make sure that you don't have a big softy tomorrow night."

The crowd erupted in cheers, signifying the end of the match. Ivan's remaining two teammates, Owen and Nima, arrived shortly after, taking their seats behind you.

"Are they both set for the match?" you asked. Nima nodded her head.

"Just back from wishing them luck." she replied. "I still can't believe we were lucky enough to compete in this."

"Why? What happened?"

"Remember when you visited and we were on the rooftop drinking?" Owen asked.

"Yes." you replied, sounding apologetic in your tone. Yang, noticing this, gave you a quick, reassuring smile.

"Well..."

"Guess which two idiots got in trouble the next morning for underage drinking on the school grounds We could have been barred from fighting in the tournament." Nima interrupted.

"It wouldn't have happened if our teammates didn't leave us out there for the night."

"Wait, Jaune and Ren were with us that night as well. Did they get in trouble at all?" you inquired.

"Of course not." Owen responded. "We'd never rat them out."

"So, what happened to you once they found out?"

"The headmaster went easy on us, unlike one of our other teachers, we got detention for a few weeks and had to do some extra work around the school."

"That was lucky."

"Yeah. I've learned my lesson since then. Next time I'll make sure I get drunk in my room."

Nima shot her teammate a glare.

"What?"

"Ignoring this dope anyway..." Nima began. "... you were great out there earlier Yang."

"Especially against that Neon girl." Owen added. "You didn't lose your cool as bad as others would've if they were fighting her. Hell, if Nima would've probably put her saw blades through her face, even if the match was over."

You looked over at Nima expecting her to shoot another glare at her friend.

"He's not wrong." Nima admitted.

"Are you two gonna go to the concert tomorrow night?" Owen inquired.

"What concert?" you asked.

"The one in the fairgrounds. They always have one at the end of the Vytal festival." Nima replied.

"Nima's obsessed with the band that's playing, wouldn't be surprised if she dragged the whole team to it."

"Who's playing?" Yang asked.

"These guys." Nima gushed as she produced a piece of paper from her pocket and opened it up. It showed four bird faunus, each with mop top haircuts. The top displayed the bands name, 'The Beakles', all capitalised and in black.

"I can't wait." Nima squeed, folding it back up.

"She has the hots for one them as well." Owen tacked on. "Wrengo Starr is the one I think."

"Can you blame me?" Nima gushed once again.

"What do you think?" you asked Yang. "Wanna go? I don't mind if you do."

"I don't know." she replied. "Depends on how long it'll go on for. We don't want to be out too late. It is our special night after all."

"The match is starting!" Nima exclaimed.

################################################################################

 _"From Beacon academy, Deena Vert and Ivan Dearg of team DINO..."_

Ivan ran out into the arena, clutching his spear Thagomizer in one hand while his other was raised in the air. Deena followed in suit, walking instead of running like her more excited teammate. Covering both her hands were her weapons, Agathaumas and Aguja, two gauntlets with decently sized shield-like structure, resembling the frill of an animal, that protruded backwards. Extending forwards from them were two trailing point shaped blades.

 _"... and from Shade Academy, Gor and Orais Beirt of team Gorm."_

Two male students entered. Both were almost identical looking, from appearance to the clothes they wore and their weapons, two miniature cannons on each arm. Orais had hair that was spiked backwards and was orange in colour, as was his attire and weapon. Gor had blue hair that was spiked in all directions and much like his brother, had his clothes and weapon matching the colour of his hair.

"Looks like we're up against twins." Ivan said.

"Hey Beacon boy." Gor addressed Ivan.

"Yeah?"

"You're fighting us with that pathetic twig?" he asked, referring to Ivan's weapon.

"Maybe the twig is meant to be symbolic of something." Orais added. "Good on you for not being ashamed of what you've got."

"Wanna say that up close?" Ivan provoked.

"Wait for the actual fight to begin." Deena warned her teammate.

Behind Ivan and Deena appeared a desert and an ocean biome, while a forest and mountain biome appeared behind their opponents.

"Straight to the sand when it begins." Deena whispered.

"No need to tell me." Ivan stated.

 _"3...2...1 begin!"_

Ivan and Deena immediately darted to the desert biome. Gor and Orais followed by propelling themselves forward with their weapons, blasting out wind and fire from them respectively. Ivan stuck his spear in the ground and blasted a shockwave at the ground, creating a large cloud of sand that surrounded the two brothers and drained a quarter of his aura. Deena's eyes glowed lime green, allowing her to see her two opponents as green, spectral bodies through the cloud of sand her teammate created. She darted in and went back and forth between the two brothers, giving them a series of punches and kicks.

Once he had the chance, Gor used one of his cannons to blow the sand away. The barrels of his cannons retracted inwards to allow his hands out. He pulled Deena away from his brother and threw her several feet away into the ocean biome.

"I'll take her, you deal with twig boy." he ordered.

"Got it."

Orais dashed towards Ivan and was met with several jabs from his spear, forcing him to remain at a distance. Ivan split his spear into its dual SMG mode and laid a suppressing fire against Orais, who easily ran from his line of fire. From one of his cannons Orais shot a flaming round at Ivan, who intercepted it with a small shockwave.

Gor kept Deena on the defence, delivering punch after punch that she was just able to keep up with, blocking them with the shields on her weapons. His onslaught brought them both into the water. Deena, seeing the chance, slashed at him. Gor extended a cannon from one hand and blew at the water, forcing Deena to shield her eyes to avoid having the salt water sting them. She clumsily fired a quick round of automatic gunfire while blinded with the intention of keeping her opponent at bay. When the water stopped and she could see again, Gor was no longer in front of her.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed, giving her a powerful kick from behind, sending her face first to the ground.

Reforming his spear, Ivan swiped at Orais as he came in. Much like his brother, Orais retracted one of the cannons on his arms and wrenched the weapon out of Ivan's hands.

"You want the stick?" he taunted, waving the weapon around the same way someone playing fetch with their dog would. Ivan tried to get it back but was forced back by fire from Orais. "You want? Fetch!"

He threw the spear towards the spot where his brother was fighting, striking Deena with it. Orais then fired flames from both his cannons to push Ivan back. The fires stopped and Orais struck Ivan in the chest with a jumping kick.

"I'm gonna kill him." Ivan said recovering from the kick.

"You need to sit down for a bit?" Orais mocked.

"Just wait you motherfu..."

Deena was sent crashing into Ivan by Gor, causing Orais to cackle madly.

"Gonna kill them both." Ivan groaned.

"Get your spear back first." Deena commanded. "I'll hold them off."

"Got it."

The two brothers attacked in unison, attempting to kick them from both sides. Deena successfully stopped both attacks, parrying Orais and catching Gor's leg between the blades of one of her weapons, twisting it to send him to the ground.

She stepped on top of Gor and kicked herself off towards his brother. When Orais tried to punch her she jammed his hands with her weapons, the same way she did with his brothers leg, and headbutted him. Orais gave her a kick to the thig and followed up another to the side of her head.

"Brother now!" Orais barked before he jumped out of the way. Deena immediately turned her attention to Gor.

"Smile for the wind cannons!" Gor quipped before firing full blast at Deena with both cannons. Unable to react fast enough, the gale force winds sent her flying her out of the arena, knocking her out of the fight.

"Deena! Ivan cried out.

"One down..."

... one more to go."

"Just try it." Ivan goaded, assuming an attack stance.

The siblings dashed forwards. Ivan fired a small shockwave that hit Orais in the leg, sending him tumbling to the ground. When Gor got within range, Ivan smacked him across the face with Thagomizer. With him briefly disoriented, Ivan attempted to sweep Gor's legs but was met with an uppercut. He sent another small shockwave to push Gor back.

"You're nearly out." Orais teased, noticing that Ivan's Aura was below half after taking a glimpse at one of the monitors.

"Together?" Gor asked.

"Together."

As the two closed in on him Ivan was no longer able to rely on his semblance to force them back. Instead he relied on his spear, thrusting it forwards. Neither of them were too bothered by it, dodging it easily. Orais shot himself forwards with his cannons until he was behind Ivan, who made the mistake of swinging his spear around too heavily, making it easy for Orais to grab it once again and rip it out of his hands. From behind, Gor kicked him forwards into his brother, who kicked him back. Both were relentless in their game of back and forth, giving Ivan no chance to fight back until one kick managed to push him aside. Ivan made one last attempt to defend himself, which ended up being futile. The twins each took turns to strike him. One after the other he was met with either a punch or a kick, and he was unable to protect himself against any of them.

"No hard feelings?" Orais mocked before giving Ivan one last punch into the chest, sending him falling to the ground and his Aura below the threshold.

The buzzer went off, signifying the end of the match.

################################################################################

You could see the anger on your best friends face clearly. You were quick to get up from your seat and head down with the rest of team DINO, Yang following shortly after. When you arrived at Ivan and Deena he still looked irritated. Deena tried, to no avail, to get him to say something.

"You're acting like a child." Deena chided. Ivan still didn't respond, instead opting to walk away from everyone. You placed your hand on Deena's shoulder when she tried to go after him.

"Give him a few minutes to cool down." you told her. "I'll go talk to him then."

Deena took your advice and turned to apologize to her remaining teammates.

"Sorry guys. Guess we let you down."

"Don't worry about it." Nima reassured. "It's only a match."

"I have a bottle of vodka back at the room." Owen began. "If we won the tournament I'd be drinking to celebrate. If we lost I'd still be drinking it tomorrow night. As far as I'm concerned losing this match didn't change the fact that I'm getting completely smashed tomorrow."

"If you pass out again I'm not dragging you back to the room." Nima reprimanded.

"You're probably gonna spend the night trying to get into Wrengo Starr's pants." Owen fired back.

"Care to say that again you mop headed dope?" Nima challenged.

Deena began to chuckle at their squabbling.

"Tough break out there Deena." Yang said. "You still fought good."

"Thanks." Deena smiled. "I just don't know what I'm gonna do about Ivan. I didn't think something like this would get to him."

"Like I said, just give him a few minutes." you reminded. "All that time he spent training with you, he probably feels like it's all gone to waste, especially after losing against those two the way you did. He'll be laughing at it, just wait."

"Guess it's up to you and Pyrrha now." Deena said to Yang.

"We'll both win for you guys." Yang said proudly.

"I'm counting on it. Anyhow, I'm guessing you two want to be alone together so I'll just stop these two before one kills the other and we'll be on our way."

She said farewell and left with her teammates. Yang took you by the hand and suggested a walk around. You were quiet for the first few minutes, your mind being bogged down with how you were going to approach Ivan.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Yang asked.

"I don't want to bother you with it."

"You're thinking about Ivan, aren't you?"

"You know me too well." you replied. "Just thinking about what I'm going to say to him. I know I said he'll be after cooling down but I wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong. I'm no good when it comes to helping people when they're upset, no matter what it is that's bothering them. All I know is what I wouldn't want to hear if I was in his position."

"That's something."

"I guess. Are you gonna be ok with me leaving you for a few minutes?"

"I think I can handle. Besides, he's your best friend. I'd be disappointed if you didn't go to him."

"I don't know how long I'll be away, but you must hold on." you joked.

"Shut up." she chuckled.

"You'll miss me."

Yang ventured to give you a playful shove, only for you to grab her arm so you could pull her into a hug.

"Someone's getting bold." Yang commented.

"That's from being around you."

"Just don't get too bold. I'm gonna head back to my room."

"I'll be there when I'm done."

You placed a quick kiss on her cheek and let go of her to search for your friend. It wasn't a long search, a few minutes going in the direction you saw him storm off in and you found him sitting a good distance away from the fairground, taking out his anger by punching a nearby tree.

"Hey." you greeted.

"Hey." he responded dryly, ceasing his activity.

"Feeling any better?" you asked.

"Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?"

"I'll take that as a no." you muttered to yourself. "You know I'm not gonna leave you alone when you're like this."

"I'm not a kid."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's me trying to tell you I don't wanna be bothered by anyone, so go back to Yang; I know you'd rather be with her right now."

"You know who you're sounding like right now?" you prompted.

Ivan was silent for a moment, pondering what you meant.

"Are you seriously comparing this to..."

"It's the best I can do." you replied. "I was upset and didn't want anyone near me, but someone was too stubborn to leave me sulk. It was the lowest I had ever been in my life and my best friend just sat with me in silence for hours."

"Me losing a match against those two clowns isn't the same as when you had to leave combat school."

"You're right, but I was angry when I did and this is what you did, and I don't really know what else to do since I'm no good when it comes to stuff like this, so this is the best I can do."

Ivan laughed.

"You'd really stay here with me being grumpy for hours?"

"If push comes to shove, then yeah. Yang might not be too thrilled but I'm sure she'd understand."

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna be out here that long." Ivan assured. "I just needed to blow off some steam."

"I figured. But your teammates would probably be worried about you so I told them I'd find you."

"They're probably gonna be pissed off when I get back."

"Probably."

"Then I guess I've got some apologising to do. Not the first time I've had to do so."

"Would the first time be for almost getting them barred from the tournament?"

"Yeah but at least Owen was... wait how do you know that?"

"Nima told me earlier. I wonder what would've happened to me if I was found passed out with you that night."

"Who knows? Anyway you should go, there's someone else you probably want to be with."

"You sure?"

"Go ahead I'm fine. Thanks anyway."

"What are friends for?"

You wasted no time in leaving. As you ran you took out your scroll to let Yang know you were on your way, which was met with an immediate request to bring food just as you left the fairground. You stopped for a moment and took out your wallet so you'd have the money in hand. As you put the wallet back you saw someone approach you directly. It was a young woman with brown skin and green hair. You moved to the side to avoid colliding into her. You noticed a grin on her face and as you got closer her eyes seemed to be focused on you. Then you noticed her hand attempt to slip into the pocket your wallet was contained in.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" you exclaimed, pushing her back. She looked at you dumbfounded.

"Y-you saw me? How?" she stammered.

"What do you mean how? You walked straight up to me and..."

"What's going on here?"

Another person entered the fray; a young, gray haired man. He went to the girls side and pulled her back from you.

"Do you know her?" you asked. He nodded. "Well she just tried to pickpocket me."

The girl looked like she was about to speak but was could.

"I'm really sorry about this. This isn't the first time she's done this. " he stated before giving the back of her head a smack. "She's like a little kid, she doesn't know any better. I'll sort her out. You just go on your way, I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Fine." you agreed before walking away. "What bad can she do if that's how she tries to pickpocket someone?"


	14. Countdown in: 1

In an instant all the spectators went from cheering to erupting into an uproar.

Ruby, Weiss and Blake looked at the scene horrified at what had just unfolded.

And your mind raced a mile a minute while you tried to make sense of what just happened.

You refused to believe that Yang would just attack someone without provocation, but what you had just seen said otherwise.

Yet her face told a different story. Even from where you sat in the stands you could see how confused and frightened she looked as the monitors in the arena replayed the moment over and over. Just seeing that look on her face, like a child after realising what they just did was wrong, was soul crushing, especially on Yang of all people.

Perhaps the worst thing about it all was the conflicting feelings you were having. The person who the crowd was jeering and booing at was not the outgoing, funny, affectionate person you had spent countless hours and had fallen in love with. You could say with one hundred percent confidence that Yang was not the type of person that would attack someone out of the blue; but you had just witnessed that very thing happen with your own eyes.

Security personnel were quick to respond, surrounding her shortly after the situation.

"What the hell are they doing!?" you shouted as you stood up. "Why are they pointing guns at her!?"

"(Y/n) calm down." Ivan advised. You didn't listen to him, instead opting to jump into the arena. "(Y/n!)"

It didn't matter how you looked to everyone else. You didn't even take a second to glance at any of the monitors showcasing your mad dash to reach your girlfriend, with your best friend trailing behind you. As you reached closer one of the Atlesian Knights turned around and aimed its gun at you, one of the soldiers following immediately after.

"Sir, I have to ask you to step back." he ordered.

"Or what? You're gonna shoot a civilian?"

"Step back now!"

"Tell them to put down their weapons now you..."

From behind someone grabbed you and began dragging you back.

"Ivan let go!" you yelled.

"You're going to get yourself hurt." your friend rebuked.

You twisted and contorted in a futile attempt to escape your friends hold. Throughout the whole thing you were looking at Yang's despairing face, which only motivated you to fight back against Ivan's grasp.

"I really don't want to do this." Ivan said, putting a hand to your stomach. He fired a small shockwave into your gut, which felt like being hit with a strong punch, winding you in the process and allowing Ivan to drag you away without you putting up any resistance.

He finally stopped once he had dragged you out.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" you shouted once you recovered your breath.

"You were acting stupid!" he reprimanded. You shook off his words and attempted to run back in, getting stopped by him once again.

"I can't leave her like that."

"You're not gonna do her any favours acting like that. Do you really think she'd want to see you get hurt on top of everything that's happening right now?"

You both took a glance at a nearby TV. It showed Yang being escorted away.

"I should be with her." you said.

"Will you just calm down?!"

"How can I? Didn't you see the look on her face? She needs someone with her."

"And you'll be with her soon, but you need to cool off before you do."

"Fine." you stubbornly growled.

Ivan chuckled to himself quietly, making you glare at him with slight annoyance.

"What?" you demanded.

"I'm not used to being the responsible one out of the two of us."

You didn't bother to justify him with a response.

A good hour and a half passed, enough time for any anger and impatience you were experiencing to fade, with the only thing to happen in that time was you making the trip from the colosseum to Beacon, where you were informed Yang would be from the rest of her team.

Your anger may have left, but it was easily replaced with unease once you began to think about how you were going to talk to Yang.

You approached team RWBY's dorm and were about to enter when you heard talking coming from the inside.

"What's going on?" Ivan asked.

"It sounds like someone's inside talking to her."

Ivan put his ear to the door and listened in for several seconds.

"That sounds like General Ironwood."

"Should I just go in?"

"Wait until he's done talking."

You took a deep sigh and sat down on the ground, leaning your back against the wall. In a way you felt relieved that you didn't have to face her just yet. As ashamed as it made you feel, this delay did give you the chance to find your bearings on the current situation. Of course you wanted to be there for her, the hour and a half was more than long enough already. But the more you were away from her, the more you realised that you had no idea how you were going to face her. Even hearing her side of the story wouldn't change what you saw.

"I don't even know what I'm going to say to her." you sighed.

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to figure that out on your own." Ivan said.

"I figured." you responded, groaning in frustration.

"You'll be fine. Just go in and be there for her."

"A lot of help that is." you muttered under your breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The door opened, and while you didn't bother looking up, you could tell that a single person walked out.

"He's gone now; ready to go in now?"

"Just... another minute or two."

"The longer you wait the harder it'll get."

"I know."

A few minutes passed and all of team RWBY, except Yang, walked out. You listened to ensuing conversation between them and team JNPR until it was just you and Ivan alone in the hallway again.

"Alright, I'm going in." you stated, getting up from the ground. "I've put it off long enough."

"And you can put it off for another few minutes while I talk to her." Qrow said as walked up to you.

"No." you said defiantly. "I've been away from her for too long."

"You know, between this, the stunt you pulled at the arena earlier and your little cabaret performance I walked in on the other day, I really don't know what to make of you."

"I'm not waiting out here any longer."

"Too bad kid. This is a private conversation."

Before you could respond he opened the door and walked in. You attempted to walk in only for the door to be locked on the other side.

"First question..." Ivan began. "... who was that?"

"Yang's uncle." you replied. "And talking to him like that probably wasn't the best thing to do."

"Okay. Second question; what does he mean by cabaret performance?"

"Well... you see..."

Despite your friends best attempts to squeeze an answer out of you, his attempts were in vain. Eventually he realised it was pointless prodding for information and gave up, for a change, deciding to leave since you'd be on your own with Yang in just a few minutes.

Shortly after he left you heard the door unlock and Qrow walked out. You looked away awkwardly, not wanting to look him in the eyes after what you said to him earlier.

"Relax I'm not gonna take your head off. Go on in, she's waiting for you."

You took a deep breath, grasped the doorknob, and finally entered the room.

There she was, sitting on the bed, looking over at you, disheartened, as you finally made your presence known. You stared back, quiet, frozen, heart pounding in your chest. It reminded you a lot of your first date, how you worried that one bad sentence would alienate her, how you found yourself unable to talk at one point because of that reason.

Of course you wanted to know why she did it. Everything you knew about her was the opposite of what her action in the arena earlier would have people to believe.

You took the first of many anxious steps towards her.

"Yang..."

You paused for short, but uncomfortable, few seconds. You felt it was necessary to choose your words carefully.

"...I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. I've spent the last, I don't know how long, outside; when I should've been here with you and..."

Her sudden embrace cut you off. Gently you wrapped your arms around her while she buried her head into your chest, weeping quietly. In response, you slowly began stroking her back, the only thing you felt you could do. The previous day you told her that you were no good when it came to helping people when they were upset. That was when you were going to talk to your friend when he was frustrated after losing a match, nothing compared to what was going on now.

"We're disqualified from the tournament." Yang stated, retracting her head back from your chest, leaving your shirt stained slightly with her tears. "That's why Ironwood was in here. All because of me."

" _Why can't I say anything?!"_ you cursed yourself as your heart clenched. _"Should I just be blunt and address it head on?"_

"Yang..."

You paused again, no less uncomfortable than the first time.

"... what happened out there? I saw you hit that guy... and I know you would never do something like that... but... I just don't know what to make of this."

"He attacked me!" Yang shouted, making you jump. It was obvious that she had been giving that answer all day and was now completely frustrated with doing so. When she spoke again she was more subdued. "I saw him attack me and I fought back in defence."

You didn't know what to make of her response. You could tell she genuinely believed what she was saying, she wasn't trying to lie to you.

Now it was even harder for you to try figure out what to say. An uncomfortable silence took over the room again, with only a gentle breeze coming in from the open window being the only thing coming close to breaking it.

"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked, sounding devastated.

"Yang, I ..."

Her hands shot forward and reached around your neck to pull you forwards so her lips crashed into your own. There was a brief moment when your lips parted where you tried to speak, only to be cut off just as you began.

"Right now." she said, lying back on the bed and dragging you down so you were on top of her. "Lets do it now."

She smashed her lips into you again, not allowing you to form a response.

"Go ahead." she instructed. "It's what we've been waiting for all week."

It was true. All week you long had been waiting for the moment where you would consummate your relationship with her. Yet now, when it was finally in front of you, it felt wrong.

"No." you solemnly declined, sitting back up on the bed. "I can't do this."

"What's wrong? Don't you want this?"

"Of course I do."

"So why'd you stop?"

"Because this is wrong." you stated firmly. "You're not thinking straight Yang. This is supposed to be a special moment for both of us. You're just rushing into this because you're upset. Aren't you?"

There was no reply.

"Exactly. I can't go ahead knowing that. I love you Yang and I'm not gonna let you do this."

She grabbed in a sudden, tight embrace. You hugged her back, holding her as close as you could. It remained like that for several minutes. Yang never said anything, no crying, not a sound. You wondered momentarily whether or not she had fallen asleep. It didn't take long for you to get an answer.

"(Y/n), you're not going to like this but, I need to be alone right now."

"Yang I can't just..."

"Please."

"I'm not leaving you alone." you stated firmly.

"I'm calling it in." she said half-heartedly.

You looked at her confused.

"Calling in what?"

"A while back you promised I could ask you do anything for me. This is it."

"That." you said quietly. '

"I know you don't want to leave me alone, but I need this, for now."

"Okay." you said reluctantly. "If it's what you want."

"Thanks." she said faintly, managing to force a weak smile.

You walked hesitantly towards the door.

"The moment you need anything call me." you stated before exiting.

It crushed you, seeing her like that. You left off a quiet, frustrated groan. You may have agreed to leave the room, but that didn't mean you couldn't stay outside the room and wait. You had nothing else to do for the day and had already spent a good amount of time at the fairgrounds over the past two days to be done with it, and it wasn't like anything was going to get you to leave the building.

You resumed sitting on the spot you took while waiting to enter the room and, once again, waited. You were unmoving, unwilling to budge just the slightest, even if it was getting uncomfortable. You just stared blankly at the wall for the good part of an hour.

Eventually it was broken when your scroll began ringing.

"Hello?" you answered quietly.

"(Y/n)?" your mom asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you there?"

"Yes."

"I can't hear you, speak up."

"Hang on a sec."

You stood up and walked several feet down the hall. You had intentionally spoke quietly so Yang wouldn't know you were just outside.

"Alright go ahead." you instructed.

"How's Yang doing? I saw her on the TV, she looked completely mortified."

"She's... keeping it together."

"Are you with her right now?"

"No... she... wants to be alone right now."

"I can't understand what happened. She's such a friendly and sweet girl, I never thought she'd do something like that."

"That makes two of us." you said faintly.

"Are you doing okay?"

"No, I'm not." you sated bluntly. "I could barely say anything to her, even after she gave me her side of the story. She's upset and there's nothing I can do. I'm useless."

"Come on now (y/n) don't be saying that. You did what you could. All you can do is be there for her."

"That doesn't help." you snapped.

You worried that you would only get more frustrated if you continued talking to her, so you immediately hung up on her to avoid it.

"And now I'm gonna have to deal with that when I go home." you remarked.

Since you had gotten up, you decided against returning to your spot. As reluctant as you were to leave, sitting around doing nothing wouldn't help you with anything, and in the past going for a walk often helped clear your mind and calm you down. You also trusted Yang enough to call if she needed you. You would only be gone for an hour at most, probably less.

With a heavy heart you walked out.

You had to admit, it did feel good to get outside, as opposed to staying in a stuffy hallway, especially considering that it was a warm day. You unintentionally walked into the fairgrounds, despite having no interest in, perhaps it was just an instinct that had been ingrained into you after spending plenty of hours there over the past two days.

Shortly after you entered a friendly voice called out to you, bringing with it some much needed company.

"(Y/n)!" Ivan called out. He was sitting at one of the stands getting a drink with Deena. Inside the stand was a TV playing the news, reporting on the incident. Thankfully the volume was fairly low, which made it easy to ignore.

"Hey. How's it going?" you greeted.

"Oh good I don't have to go looking for you." Deena said, tossing you your backpack. "You left this in the stands when you went running into the arena."

"Thanks. I must've forgot about this after getting caught up in everything that happened. So what're you too up to?"

"We are drowning our sorrows from losing yesterday." he replied.

"With cola?" you asked, taking a glance at the contents of his glass.

"We're just waiting for Owen to come with the good stuff." Ivan answered.

"What do mean we?" Deena sighed. "(Y/n) how's Yang keeping?"

"I don't know. She wants to be left alone for a while. I told her to call me if she needs anything but... I..."

By that point you were sill frustrated and weary from earlier. Truth be told, you didn't want to think about it for a while, hence the reason you went for a walk.

"It's okay." Deena assured., noticing your low mood "If she needs some space then give it to her.

Before you could muster a response the owner of the stand began turning up the volume on the TV, getting the attention of the three of you.

" _We are now receiving a call from an anonymous person who claims to have witnessed the incident in the arena first hand."_

 _"Am I okay? Can you hear me?"_

"Is that Owen?" you asked.

 _"Yes we can hear you just fine."_

"That's sure sounds like him." Ivan observed.

" _Hi! I'm Owen Marron and I'm here to tell you all that Yang Xiao Long is innocent. Yang Xiao Long is two hundred percent f_ **[bleep]** _ing not guilty. And if any of you b_ _ **[bleep]**_ _rds don't f_ **[bleep]** _ing find her innocent, then you can just_ _ **[bleep]**_ _ing kiss my fat_ _ **[bleep]**_ _ing_ _ **[bleep]**_ _. And that goes for the rest of you motherf_ **[bleep]** _ers at home too. Yang, I'm so f_ **[bleep]** _ing sorry that none of us are there to help you deal with all these bullsh_ **[bleep]** _t accusations. But let me tell you something Yang. If I was in your spot I to would've kicked the sh_ **[bleep** _]t out of that b_ **[bleep]** _rd Mercury myself, along with that b_ _ **[bleep]**_ _Emerald and that cheap, black-haired skank they call a leader."_

In the background of the call you could hear the sound of a door opening before someone stormed.

 _"Owen! Get the f_ **[bleep]** _k off your scroll!"_ Nima shouted.

" _Ha ha you swore on live TV."_ Owen mocked.

" _Owen put it away now!"_

From the sound of it, there was a brief scuffle between the two, ending when it sounded like some glass was after breaking.

" _The booze!"_ Owen cried.

 _"F_ **[bleep]** _k your booze!... Oh for f_ **[bleep]** _k sake I'm after swearing agai... Sh_ **[bleep]** _t!"_

 _"Yang, I hope this sh_ **[bleep]** _t helped."_

The call abruptly ended.

"Did that really just happen?" Deena asked, her face covered by her hands.

"I didn't know Owen could be so... 'poetic'." you remarked.

"I wonder how the teachers are gonna react to this one." Ivan added.

"He's getting expelled for this, isn't he?" Deena groaned.

"I'm just after messaging Nima telling her where we are." Ivan said.

"I'm gonna have to have a little chat with our dear teammate Owen when he arrives."

"He doesn't seem to have a high opinion of team... whatever they're called." you claimed. "Guess they're not the type of people who leave a good impression on others."

"I don't know, they seemed friendly enough when I first met them." Deena claimed.

"Well I can't say much about the rest of the team, but that green haired girl, Emerald..."

"What about her?" Ivan asked.

"Yesterday, after I left you, she tried to steal my wallet."

"Really?"

You nodded.

"Did you report her?" Deena asked.

"No. Mercury said he'd deal with her. But here's the weird part; when Emerald tried to steal it from me, she just walked up and tried to take it from me..."

"What kind of thief does that?" Ivan questioned.

"That's what I thought as well."

"What did you do when you saw her?" Deena prodded.

"I pushed her away and..."

"And what?"

"She was surprised that I saw her. What was she expecting?"

"Maybe you weren't meant to see her." Ivan proposed.

"You did hear what I said right? She walked up to me and tried to take it from my hand. I'd have to be blind not to see that."

"Shut up and listen." Ivan reproached. "I wasn't done talking."

"Alright, go on."

"Look, the other day I was talking to the team that Emerald and Mercury beat in the doubles round. Their team leader took on Emerald and started seeing things during the fight."

"What did she see?"

"She said that she saw her teammate join up with her, despite the fact that he was already knocked out. It might be a safe guess to say all of that was Emerald's doing."

"Like she can make people hallucinate."

"Exactly."

"When I was with Yang earlier she said that Mercury attacked her, that's why she hit him."

"But we didn't see him attack her at all." Deena said.

"Where was Emerald during the match?" you asked.

"In the stands, just like everyone else." she replied.

"Which gives teams the closest view of the arena. It's just a guess, but I doubt she'd have much problem working it from there."

"But why?" Deena questioned. "I can see why she would do it in a match she's fighting in, it would give her a huge edge over the people she's fighting. But why would she do it to Yang after she won? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to use it during the fight?"

"That's a good point." you noted.

"Doesn't matter." Ivan declared. "We can at least tell someone about our suspicions. We should have enough proof for them to at least take us seriously."

"And prove Yang innocent." you added.

"Maybe we could also talk to the people they fought in the team round and see if anything strange happened to them." Deena suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." Ivan said.

"Pyrrha's match is starting soon, which means anyone we can talk to will probably be at the stadium to watch it." Deena said. "It'll probably be easier for us to get a hold of someone after it."

You let out an impatient groan.

"Don't worry (y/n) it won't be too long."

"I just..."

For the second time your scroll went off. You yanked it out of your pocket immediately, hoping it was Yang who was calling and, to your luck, it was.

"Yang, what's going on?" you asked.

"I need to talk to you right now. Can you come back up?"

"Of course; I'll be there in no time."

"Thanks."

"Guys, I have to..."

"It's fine. Go to her." Ivan assured.

"We'll go tell someone after the match." Deena added.

"Thanks."

You were about to bolt away, only for Deena to stop you.

"What?" you asked.

"One thing I want to know first. If Emerald tried it on you, why didn't it work?"

You thought about it for a second. The answer struck you instantly once you thought about what was different between you and everyone.

"I don't have an aura. Maybe her little trick works by manipulating a person's aura. Since there's nothing there it won't work on me."

"Is that why you look different?" Deena almost shouted in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like that."

For a short couple of seconds Deena's eyes glowed lime green before going back to normal.

"That was my semblance." she began. "It lets me see through things like walls or a thick cloud of smoke. Humans, Faunus or any other thing with a soul appear as a bright green spectral body, while grimm appear as black. But you... you're very faded, almost invisible. I've never seen anyone like that."

"Well I'm glad I could give you a unique viewing experience, but I need to get going."

You sprinted all the way back to the dorm, passing Owen and an annoyed looking Nima on the way. By the time you reached the door you were gasping madly, forcing you to wait a minute to catch your breath before going in.

Once you entered Yang was standing in the centre, having waited for you to arrive. She wasted no time in talking to you.

"You were right..." she stated. "... about what I tried to do earlier. I wasn't thinking properly."

"It's okay Yang, we didn't go through with it." you assured her

"No it's not! I was upset and... it felt like you weren't on my side after I told you what happened, so I did that because I thought it would get you on my side."

She looked away from you in shame. You walked towards her and gently pushed her head back to look at you and slowly stroked her cheek tenderly.

"I'm always on your side." you said quietly.

You gently eased her into a loving hug.

It was then you thought of what you talked about with Ivan and Deena. You could only imagine how she would react to hearing that she was right. Of course there was a big chance that your testimony wouldn't be taken as one hundred percent proof of Yang's innocence, but it was a chance you had to take; for her.

In a bold decision, you decided not to tell her just yet. You thought it would be a good idea to suprise her with the news once the match was over. Whether Pyrrha won or lost, you had something that would definitely brighten up her spirit.

"You're not a terrible person Yang." you stated. "I know it, your sister knows it and so do all of your friends. Nothing anyone else says will convince us otherwise."

You placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks." she said softly before a lively smile slowly grew on her. "You know, there's another reason I wanted you up here."

"Which is?"

"I wanted someone to keep me company while I watched the match."

"Well, you asked the right person."

"Actually, you were my last choice." Yang joked.

"And here I was thinking you liked me."

You opened your bag and pulled out a heart shaped box of chocolates.

"Guess I need to find someone else to share this with."

You pretended to walk away from her, prompting her pull you back playfully.

"Oh no you don't."

"I got these for tonight, help with the romantic mood, but maybe now is a better."

"Guess I'm not the only one who got something for tonight."

"Dare I ask what it is?"

"Just some special oil I wanted you to rub all over my body."

You froze for several seconds so you could imagine that scene in every vivid detail.

"Take it easy there." Yang said. "You look like you're about to start drooling."

"Just getting a picture of that." you claimed.

"Don't bother, you'll be doing the real thing tonight."

"Yang you don't have to..."

"I want to. What I tried earlier was a mistake because I was scared when I thought you didn't believe me. This isn't the same thing."

"I just want it to be something you'll enjoy. It's our first time and it shouldn't be something you'd end up regretting."

"I know that. But this isn't something I'm just rushing into. We've both been waiting for this and I want it to happen."

"That's all I need to know."

Yang walked over to her bed and removed the blanket from it.

"What're you doing?" you asked.

"I was thinking we'd cuddle under this while we watch the match."

"Now that is something I won't hesitate in doing."


	15. From Bad to Worse

After everything that had happened earlier you thought the worst was behind. You had evidence that could possibly clear Yang's name, stopped her from going through with something she could end up regretting, and, once the emotions had calmed down and began thinking straight, you were both ready to still spend your night together. You honestly thought the worst was behind.

But looking back now, it all seemed like childish naivety.

You had had watched the moment when everything went from being caught up in the excitement of the fight, to shock and horror. You stood there with Yang and listened as some unknown woman addressed everyone. Dread, unease, a strong discomfort in the pit of your stomach. All them you experienced at once. It forced you to take hold of Yang's hand, desperate for any sort of comfort. However the moment she felt just the slightest touch, her own clasped down, practically squeezing it.

When you looked her in the eyes you saw this distressed, despondent face on her.

 _"Please tell me this is some kind of joke."_ you desperately hoped.

From there things got worse. The broadcast ended, leaving you both in silence for several seconds before sirens began blaring.

"What's going on now?" you asked.

 _Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine._

"Oh god."

You swore you could hear the screams of panicking citizens from outside.

"This is bad." you stated. You felt Yang tug at your, which you ignored. Instead you pulled out your scroll and rang your dad; no answer

Again Yang tugged at your arm, and again you ignored it, pulling yourself away from her while you attempted to call your father again.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"My dad's not answering." you responded. You then opted to try calling your mother, only to be met with the same result. "No one's answering."

"I'm sure they're fine; now come on, you need to get you somewhere safe." she reassured.

You stubbornly refused to move from your spot, despite Yang trying to tell you otherwise. Numerous times you switched between you mother and father, desperately hoping that someone would answer. When you finally decided to stop and get a move on, you noticed that Yang was now attempting to get through to someone on her scroll, assuming it was one of her teammates, more than likely her sister. While she did this you looked back at the tv, which was still playing the emergency broadcast, paying close attention to where the Grimm were coming from.

"(Y/n), we need to get you somewhere safe now." Yang demanded. Judging from her silence before that, you assumed she had the same luck you did in getting through.

"I can't. I have to get into the city." you claimed.

"Are you crazy?" Yang chided. "There are Grimm swarming the city and you want to go in there."

"I need to know my parents are okay."

"Do you have any idea what you sound like?" she protested.

"The Grimm are coming in from Mountain Glenn, which is to the southeast. My house is far enough from where they are coming from that I could pretty much walk away without worry." you argued.

"If something happened to you…"

"I know. I'm a complete weakling compared to pretty much everyone else in all of Remnant. But my parents could be in danger and I don't know if I could live with myself knowing that I didn't do anything."

"What if they're already after getting out by the time you get there?"

"Then straight away I'll get to safety. Even if things are too bad, there's a place in my house I could hide for the night."

"(Y/n)…"

"You'll be going into the middle of all that chaos Yang. You're a trained fighter and I'm still scared for you. But I know nothing I can say will stop you from doing what you were trained to do and if you were in my spot I know you wouldn't want anyone trying to stop you. Please, I'm begging you."

Yang looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

"Okay." she reluctantly agreed before grabbing you in a tight hug. "Just please don't die."

"I won't."

"I think I know how to get you into the city."

You both wasted no time rushing out of the room, with Yang calling on Zwei to follow you both. As you dashed through the hallways Yang made another call on her scroll, this time being successful in getting through to her teammate Blake, enquiring about her sister and showing worry once she was told they don't know where she was.

"… I'm getting (y/n) to safety, then I'll join up with you."

" _Why do I have to be so useless right now?"_ you cursed yourself.

"Come on this way." Yang instructed.

The path took you to a part of Beacon you had been in briefly the last time you visited befor the Vytal festival. It was the room where all the lockers were kept, significantly more empty given the current situation. Yang directed towards her own locker and opened.

"You know how these work; right?" she asked.

You nodded.

"Then get in. I can make this take you to your place in no time."

You complied with her and entered the locker. Yang then picked up Zwei from the ground and handed him over to you. This action left you confused briefly before you came to the conclusion that she didn't want to have to worry about him in the middle of battle.

"Keep him safe." Yang instructed.

"Don't worry I will." you replied.

Yang managed to force a smile on her face.

"I was talking to Zwei." she claimed. In response the small dog gave a bark, almost as if he was acknowledging what she was saying. You couldn't help but smile yourself.

"Even with everything that's going on you're still joking."

Again, she smiled at you before going in for a short kiss.

"I love you." she said.

"I love you too." you responded. "This will all be over by the morning and when it is I'll find you."

You may have said that for her, but you had to admit it was more for yourself than her. It could even be assumed that her joke prior was to help herself more than you; both of you trying to reassure yourselves that everything would be fine.

You took one look at her face, as if it was the last time you'd ever see her, before the locker finally took off towards the city, with you uncertain of what would happen once you arrived there.

######################################################################################

Four lockers crashed into the fairground simultaneously. Each member of team DINO approached and retrieved their respective weapon.

"Nima, go protect the people evacuating. Once they're all safe join up with Weiss and Blake in the main avenue." Deena ordered.

"Got it." Nima replied after readying her weapon, a heavy, repurposed power cutter with dual sawblades that was attached to a backpack that fed both wind and water dust into it.

"Nima!" Owen called out as she was about to run off.

"What?"

"If you think things are too much for you to handle, get out of there."

"Stay safe." Nima responded. "All of you."

"The three of us…" Deena resumed. "… will stay here and hold them off. Ivan, get on top of one of the stalls and use that thing to take them out as they're coming in."

"Got it." he replied.

The 'thing' she was referring to currently occupied his locker, the weapon that would've been used by his closest friend, stored proudly alongside his own personal weapon, Thagomizer. He split Thagomizer into its SMG mode and holstered them on his side before he armed himself with the cannon; which covered up the majority of his arm as he held it.

Once ready, he faced the ongoing pandemonium that surrounded him. Neither member of team DINO had ever experienced something like this before. All of them were away when the breach happened months back, and during their initiation they only ran into a handful of Grimm. Even if he felt some kind of relief from seeing the Atlesian Knights being deployed to assist them, ther was no way any of them were prepared for something of this scale.

"Feeling scared bud?" Owen asked in a rather lighthearted voice, trying to defuse some of his nerves.

"Not a chance." he scoffed sarcastically. "I was more terrified that time we put laxatives in the teachers coffee."

With that, he fired a shockwave into the ground that was strong enough to launch him into the air and onto the top of one of the stands for a good vantage point.

Coming in was a small hoard of various Grimm. Ivan did one quick scan of the area, making sure that it was clear of any civilians.

"Okay (y/n), this is as close as we'll ever get to fighting on the same team together. Let's make this count." he whispered.

He extended the barrel of the cannon and took aim. He fired one round that struck the centre of the hoard as it came closer. It exploded in a bright orange flash and enveloped a good amount of Grimm. Several more that were about to walk into the area of the explosion ended up getting their heads or upper half of their bodies destroyed; Ivan also swore he saw a beowolf crawling around with its back legs after being blown off.

Again he scanned the area, looking for a large number he could take out at once. There was only a certain amount of rounds that the cannon could hold, forcing him to use it conservatively.

On the ground, Deena and Owen had run ahead slightly to take on several Grimm.

With one good strike from his mace, Polacanth, Owen smashed into the ground and created a good sized cloud of dirt that surrounded several beowolves. Deena followed up by activating her semblance and jumping in, slashing away at the beowolves with Agathaumus and Aguja while their vision was obscured by the cloud.

Once it had settled she spotted a group of creeps encroaching in. Deena simply fired at them, making short work.

From the side, a single beowolf came charging towards her. Owen spotted this and went to intercept it. As he approached, the beowolf turned its sights on him and picked up its pace. However before it could close in the last several feet, Owen jumped backwards and disappeared in a brief flash, reappearing several feet behind where he was and firing a blast of ice dust from the shotgun end of his mace, freezing the ground in front of him. The beowolf slipped and slid forwards towards Owen, who promptly crushed its head with his mace before it slowly came to a stop.

"Surprise." he taunted.

Two creeps managed to avoid Deena's fire, managing to sneak up behind her. Owen noticed this and dashed towards her, teleporting behind her once he was an appropriate distance and smacking the two Grimm away with his weapon.

"And you tell me I need to watch my back." Owen joked.

Before she could respond, an Ursa Major approached the two. With one swipe of its paw both of them were sent flying back several feet back. Deena was the first to recover from the attack, rushing straight at the Ursa and stabbing it in the stomach with the blades of both her weapons and began firing into it, to no avail. As the Ursa attempted to bite down on her it was met with a good smack to the face. Deena retracted weapon from it after she realised her attack was doing nothing.

"Get out of the way!" Ivan shouted, aiming the cannon at it. Heeding their teammates order, the two darted off to opposite sides and he fired, getting a direct hit and destroying the body in its entirety.

Outside of the fairground Nima anxiously stood on guard by an airship. As the last of the civilians boarded, she kept her hopes up that following them would be her teammates, ready to leave along with her. Fortunately no Grimm had shown up, making the evacuation all the more easier on her.

"Ma'am, we have to take off now." one of the airships crew stated.

Nima looked in the direction of the fairground one more time for her teammates. There was no way they'd be arriving.

"G-go ahead." she said half-heartedly stammered. "I need to stay."

She ran back to the fairgrounds to region her team, despite Deena's previous instructions. She knew that several other teams were already present in the courtyard, so there was no reason she had to go through with her leaders orders, one more person probably wouldn't change much.

A Nevermore came flying in, its sights set on Ivan. Just as the Nevermore was about to snatch him, he jumped from the stall as the incoming Grimm shattered it. Recovering from the attack, he aimed the cannon at his assailant, ultimately missing and forced to jump out of the way as it came swooping in again.

He readied himself to fire again, only to notice that the cannon had come off when he had jumped out of the way. He frantically searched for it, to the point where he missed it on more than one occasion. By the time he finally spotted it, the large paw of an Ursa crashed down and shattered it.

"Oh crap." Ivan commented as he took unholstered his two guns and joined them into spear mode while the Ursa, joined by two more, approached him.

He charged at the first one and was fortunate enough to drive his weapon through it's head. As the body evaporated he split the spear in half again and fired at the remaining two. His bullets seemed to have very little effect, merely give him a chance to retreat back several feet before one both cartridges ran out. One Ursa acted faster than the other and lunged at him. This proved to be a mistake on the Grimms part; a single, powerful, shockwave was sent down its throat, bursting the entirety of its body and sending its limbs flying outwards.

Before the third one could attack, Deena darted in, driving a blade into the Grimm's eye and redirecting its head before shredding it to pieces. As she joined up with teammate, another small hoard of Grimm approached from behind her.

"This is getting bad." Ivan stated, reloading his guns.

"Yeah." Deena replied, before noticing the group of Atlesian Knights arriving to assist. "But at least we have help."

Both teammates took aim and fired at the approaching hoard, joined shortly by the gunfire from the androids.

"Owen?!" Nima called out to no response. However she didn't have to travel far to find him.

He was occupied with taking on a group of small Grimm, swatting most of them away with ease, while occasionally teleporting himself several feet away from them. With each hit he grew more bold and confident, often taunting them with each hit. She looked around for her remaining two teammates and spotted them dealing with an incoming hoard not too far away.

Nima's immediate decision was to assist Owen. Not once did he notice her approaching him, and by the time he finally noticed her, his fate was sealed.

"Owen behind you!"

"Nima what're you…"

Something strong hit on the back, sending him falling to the ground on his stomach and knocking his weapon from his hands. An Alpha Beowolf had snuck up behind him, and as Owen scrambled to both get up and retrieve his weapon, it picked him up in its jaws by the leg.

"Owen!" Nima shrieked.

Owen screamed in terror while the Grimm flung him from side to side. Nima rushed towards her partners aid, activating her saw blades. The Alpha tossed him behind, where he was met with more Beowolves that surrounded him, and turned its attention to Nima.

There was a brief moment where Nima could see him; two beowolves had him in their jaws, engaged in a horrifying tug of war with him, while more attempted to join in. For Nima that one, brief sight, coupled with the agonised screams as the beowolves seemed to slowly, but surely, pulling him apart, was the most heart-rending thing she had ever experienced.

She could still save him. All that was in her way was the Alpha.

She charged at the creature, both saw blades viciously whirring. Nima was the one who closed the distance between the two and ducked as she got in, cutting off the Alphas leg, forcing it to fall backwards. She approached her incapacitated opponents head and drove the blades directly into it, shredding it into tiny pieces.

But as Alphas body disappeared so too did Owens screaming. The shock of what she now had to comprehend caused her to freeze up and lose her grip on her weapon. The person she had grown up with, who she left Mistral with just so he wouldn't be alone, had just died. All she could do was give an ear piercingly loud, anguished, scream that lingered to the point where her throat began hurt.

This didn't go unheard and unrecognised by her remaining two teammates still engaged with the hoard.

"That's Nima." Ivan claimed.

"This is getting pointless." Deena panted. Even with the assistance of the Atlesian Knights, they were still struggling to hold back the Grimm. "We're getting out of h…"

She was cut off by a beowolf that lunged at her, but managed to stop it by jamming one of her weapons in its open jaws, finishing it off with a series of bullets into the mouth

"Get over to Nima and find Owen now!" Deena ordered before noticing a few more Grimm approaching her. "I'll deal with them, the we're getting out of here."

Ivan wasted no time in following his leaders order. He could see several beowolves, that had just killed Owen unbeknownst to him, approaching the despairing girl. He fired a shockwave behind himself, launching him towards his distressed teammate. Just as the first Beowolf closed in he ran his spear through it as he landed before wiping out the remainder with one massive shockwave that ripped apart the ground along with them.

"Nima what're doing here?" he asked exhausted.

Nima didn't respond, unable to say anything through her crying.

"Where's Owen?"

"H-he…"

Tears began to stream down from her eyes faster.

"He's dead." she managed to say weakly.

"Guys we need to get out of here now!" Deena shouted, not giving Ivan enough time to process Nima's words.

From behind Deena, several Atlesian Knights walked up.

"What're they doing? The Grimm are still back there."

The androids raised their weapons at the confused girl and instantaneously fired at her. Deena was unable to react fast enough to the flurry of bullets that were unleashed, quickly draining what was left of her aura. She fell backwards, and there was a brief moment where she wasn't being struck by bullets. But as she rolled over and made an attempt to crawl away, unable to stand up in her weakened state, the bullets were upon her again.

She looked up at her two teammates. Ivan's look of abject horror coupled with Nima's despaired state were the last things she saw in her final moments.

"Deena!" Ivan howled.

But he had no time to grieve for any of his fallen teammates. No doubt both him and Nima were now more likely to attract Grimm directly towards them with their current state. Adding to that was the fact that the androids, supposed to assist and protect them, now just turned on them.

Deena's killers now had their sights on the remainder of team DINO. Nima wasn't moving from her spot, and trying to get her to move was out of the question. Ivan stood in front of her, with the intention of blocking any chance the Atlesian Knights had to hit her were they to fire at her. But he wasn't going to let them attack either of them, it was just a precaution. Mustering up as much as he could, Ivan unleashed the most powerful shockwave on them, making sure that it was aimed high enough so it wouldn't hit Deena's body.

Even with the androids dealt with and no Grimm in the immediate are, Ivan refused to allow himself a second to rest.

"Nima come on we have to get out of here." he begged, taking her hand as he began to run, only for it to slip out of his due to her not moving and his own weakening state. "Nima please!" he desperately shouted, his eyes starting to well with tears.

Suddenly there was this sharp pain in one of his legs. After screaming out in agony he looked down at his unknown assailant. Out of everything that could kill him the last thing he was expecting was the Beowolf he spotted earlier whose legs he had blown off, biting deeply into his own. It pulled him down to the ground, released his leg, held him down with one hand, and began repeatedly clawing him across the back with the other. As he experienced the agony of the claws finally beginning to break his flesh, Ivan prepared for the end.

But it didn't happen.

The Beowolf let go of him as Nima began repeatedly stomping on its head, refusing to see her only remaining teammate die. This gave him the chance to crawl away to safety. Nima ran over and pulled him from the ground.

The Grimm crawled slowly towards the two and was killed by heavy machine gun fire.

Above Nima and Ivan a bullhead hovered.

" _Thank god."_ a relieved Ivan thought. " _I don't think I could've run out of here with my leg."_

The bullhead descended towards them, still remaining airborne while tossing a rope out the side.

"It's too dangerous for us to land." a soldier called out while the bullheads gun, as well as another soldier on board, fired out at targets that neither Ivan or Nima couldn't see.

Nima caught the rope, secured it around the two of them and they were both lifted in to the bullhead.

"Do you know if there's anyone else in the fairgrounds." The soldier asked.

"N-no." Ivan stuttered weakly. He looked over at Nima, who had gone back to her crushed state. He himself found that he was on verge tears. But once again he didn't have the luxury of being able to grieve for his fallen friends.

"Incoming!" the soldier shouted.

The bullhead shook violently, though fortunately it was still able to remain airborne. The cause of said shaking, a Griffon that latched on to it. The soldiers were quick to fire at it, to no effect, even with Ivan adding to it with his two guns. The bullhead shook again as the Griffons head reached in and plucked out one of the soldiers, throwing him to the ground. This also caused Ivan to drop one of his guns out of the bullhead.

The Griffons head poked in again, this time it attempted to get Nima. While Nima frantically kicked at the Griffon, Ivan changed his remaining gun into one half of his spear and attacked the Grimm with what little strength he had left, managing to grab of its neck and stab it. For several seconds he was engaged in a chaotic rodeo, with the Griffon thrashing its head around until it finally fell back from the bullhead, taking Ivan with it, leaving Nima hopelessly screaming out his name as the bullhead flew away to safety.

###################################################################################

You gave a heavy sigh of relief once you landed in the city and saw that there were no Grimm around. Adding to that was the fact that your house was only a quick dash away from where you were. Sure, you weren't out of the woods just yet, but given the current situation, the smallest bit of good luck went a long way.

"Come on Zwei." you instructed, placing him in the ground. He acknowledged you with a bark and bolted along with you in the direction of your house.

You reached your house breathless, much to your own dismay considering how much of a short sprint it was. Fortunately from where you were the house was still intact, lights on and everything; but it could be much on the inside. Once you unlocked the door with your key you kicked it in, feeling it would save you time, even if there was no difference than if you were to open it normally.

"Mom! Dad!" you shouted, walking through the hallway. From there you went into the kitchen, no sign of anyone, although on the table you spotted two dinners that had barely been eaten, giving hope that they had left.

One quick dash through the shop and a glance outside revealed that the car was gone from its spot. You were immediately overcome with relief.

Their absence meant that the risk you too was a success, but also completely pointless. Had they answered your calls earlier there would've been no reason for you to head in, and while your worries were quelled, you were now alone in a city that was under attack.

Although it could be considered a good thing you were in the city. From what you saw on the news, the Grimm seemed to be more attracted to Beacon than the city, which mean there was the possibility there wouldn't be as much. Even if you were to be evacuated there was still the distinct chance that the Grimm would attack the civilians. Your current position was also a good deal away from where any Grimm were coming in. If you ran and didn't stop, you could get to safety no problem. Even if by some chance you couldn't, you could always hide in the cellar for the night. As long as you could keep your cool the Grimm would just pass by.

Your scroll rang.

"(Y/n)?"

"Mom you're okay. I tried to call you and Dad earlier…"

"We were too caught up in getting out. Are you alright? Did you get away safely?"

"I'm fine but… I'm at the house right now."

"Turn back around! Turn back around now!" she shouted frantically at your dad.

"Mom don't!"

"What were you thinking?!"

"I was worried when you weren't answering my calls."

"We're on our way. Stay right where you are."

"Don't come back for me." you begged. "I'll get out on my own."

"Don't be stupid!" she barked.

"There's no chance you'll even be able to turn back. J- just get safety please."

"Get out straight away."

"I will. And mom?"

"Yeah?"

"About earlier… when I hung up on you. I'm sorry."

"Forget about that (y/n)."

"Can you put your scroll on speaker?"

"Okay. I just put it on."

"I just want to tell you that… that…"

You felt a lump in your throat, making it hard for you to talk. After a brief moments hesitation though you managed to blurt it out."

"… you're both the best parents that anyone could ever ask for. I just want you both to know that, just in case I don't…"

You were unable to finish the last part. Your scroll had run out of battery.

"Dammit." you said, slinking down to the ground. You put a hand to your head and attempted to wipe away the tears that were forming. You felt something tap your knee, it was Zwei placing both his front paws on it, as if he knew what you were currently experiencing. You smiled weakly and gave him a gentle pet on the head. "Let's get out of here."

You stood up and made your way to the shops door. Once it was opened Zwei ran out first getting several feet before stopping to wait for you.

But as you were exiting a powerful force, flew over the house and knocked you to the ground. You heard glass breaking and concrete shattering. When you looked up there was a massive Grimm, one you had never heard of or seen in any book, flying towards Beacon. Your thoughts immediately went to Yang and everyone else.

"Please let them be safe." you whispered to yourself.

Zwei ran over to you, whimpering out of concern.

"I'm okay." you assured him before pushing yourself up, only to meet with something that stopped you before you could get up a few inches.

"Why can't I move?"


	16. A Rise and a Fall

There were very few times in your life that you considered yourself to be truly lucky. The two most important ones that came to mind were when you survived your foolish attempt to kill a Grimm years ago, the other was when Yang came into your life. Now there was third one you could add to that list; not being killed by the debris of the shop and your house collapsing on you.

Although calling it lucky might not be entirely true. You may have survived but now the debris had you pinned down, leaving you exposed and with no way to escape if any Grimm were to pass by and notice you.

Just about every part of your body was trapped in the rubble, with just around the top quarter, both arms included, being free. Instinctively you tried to move your legs. There was very little room to move them in any direction and one spot had a sharp piece of debris that jabbed into your leg, causing you to scream in pain. Fortunately it didn't feel like it pierced your skin and at least it let you know that both your legs were still working.

Using both hands you attempted to pull yourself out; no luck. The debris blocked any chance you had of crawling out from it.

"No. No."

You tried pushing yourself up, hoping that whatever debris had you trapped wasn't too much and just needed an extra push. Every bit of strength you had was mustered up and fought against the rubble that had you pinned down. Again you had no luck. It was just too much for one person to move on their own. From what it felt like, it was one large piece that was holding you down, although there was more than likely smaller pieces on top. This led you try get your hands underneath it to aid in pushing you up but to no avail.

"Hel-help!" you shouted. "Anyone please!"

It was pointless. Anyone nearby that could possibly hear you were more than likely gone.

"No." you said tearfully before trying, and failing, to push the debris off you. "Come on! Come on!"

You gave up with an exasperated sigh.

"Damnit." you said distraught, your voice quivering while you punched the ground in frustration.

A whimpering Zwei approached you.

"Doesn't look like I'm getting out of here." you said to him.

The small dog turned around from you and began crying loudly for attention. He remained at the one spot for several seconds before he ran off.

"Zwei!"

He didn't respond to your call, instead he kept running away, his barking getting quieter and quieter until you could no longer hear it. Now you were all alone.

You hung your head briefly before your eyes wandered over to Beacon. The massive Grimm you saw earlier now seemed to be circling Beacon tower. Immediately your thoughts were on your friends and the person you loved. How were they faring against everything? Were they okay? Did things so bad that they were forced to leave?

Whatever their fate was, you had a feeling you weren't going to be around to see them. You had already given up that you were going to make it through the night. You were expecting a lone Grimm to come by any second and pick you off. Or maybe there was more debris about to fall on top of you. Or if you did manage to survive the night you would go unnoticed by any potential rescuers and slowly die from hunger and thirst.

Sure, you might be overreacting in your panicking state, but you couldn't help it. Maybe after all the good things that had happened in your life since you met Yang and she became your girlfriend now had to be balanced out with something bad.

You remained fixated on Beacon while resigning yourself to your supposed end. The dragon Grimm was now perched on top of Beacon tower, making you wonder what exactly it was doing there. From what you saw it didn't attack anyone and just seemed to be flying around. You feared the worst had happened when the thought occurred to you that in the time you weren't looking towards Beacon it had already wiped out most of the people there, everyone you cared about included.

Then an incredible white light erupted from the tower. It was as if the sky had blown the heavens into stars. Despite how far away you were the brightness was so strong your eyes hurt from it, forcing you to look down and cover them.

Several minutes passed and you convinced yourself to crack open an eye. There was no illumination from the light, encouraging you to open your other eye. When your gaze returned to Beacon the dragon was still fixed on the same spot. You stared at if for a while, looking for any sign of movement from it; there wasn't.

" _What happened?"_

The ensuing silence quickly became unbearable. Not knowing when your end would come, the confusion following that burst of light, how helpless you were in this situation. All of it was hitting you at full force.

For fleeting moment, you forgot about the debris on top of you and attempted to get up.

"Move damnit!" you shouted aggressively.

After that brief outburst a familiar sound slowly getting louder; a dog barking.

"Zwei?" you muttered.

But he wasn't alone. You heard what sounded like someone following after the small dog and calling out to him. As the voice became clearer you realised that it belonged to someone you knew.

"Jaune!" you shouted once he came into your field of view.

He jumped slightly from both you shouting out his name and seeing you almost buried beneath the remains of your house.

"What're you doing here? Weren't you at Beacon?" you asked.

"Hang on." He replied, ignoring your question. "I'll get you out."

He made a brief attempt to pull up the large piece pinning you down, only to stop and clear off whatever debris he could before trying again.

"Give me a sec." he requested after his attempt was unsuccessful.

"You never answered my question." you claimed as he attempted again to lift the rubble off you.

"Zwei." he grunted in response, stopping once more and coming to the conclusion that he wouldn't be able to lift it up. "I was in the city and I heard him barking. I didn't know it was him at first but when he saw me he ran over and started pulling at my leg before running off."

"He wanted you to follow him." you realised, turning your attention to the corgi.

"I guess so."

"Good boy." you complimented, stretching out your hand to pet him; you couldn't reach far enough to get the top of his head and had to settle for scratching him beneath the chin, though he didn't seem to mind.

"Why are you here?" Jaune began. "I thought you'd be evacuated with everyone else."

"I know." you said abashed. "I was worried about my parents and convinced Yang I needed to be here."

"So this is your home?"

You nodded.

"What's left of it."

"How did you get into the city?" he questioned.

"Yang put me in a locker. She also gave me Zwei to look after; although now I guess he seems to be looking after me."

Zwei barked in agreement.

"Why are you here and not fighting at Beacon?"

"Pyrrha." he responded dejected, to your confusion. He didn't follow it up with anything and seemed to intentionally be avoiding the subject altogether.

"How…"

"She put me in a locker."

You let out a quiet half laugh.

"Great minds huh?" you cracked.

"Yeah." he replied dispirited.

You could tell from his voice that something definitely troubling him and you were unsure whether or not you'd be any help with whatever it was. Having to worry also wasn't going to do him any good.

"Take Zwei and get out of here." you instructed. Jaune's reaction was to look at you with irritated disapproval. "I'm not getting out of here."

"Are you really just giving up like that?"

"What am I supposed to do? Neither of us can lift it off, there's nobody around to help, there could be a load of Grimm closing in, I'm not moving from this spot anytime soon."

"Then neither am I." he responded, plonking himself down on the ground.

"Now that's just childish." you claimed, frustrated.

"I'm not gonna leave you here alone. We can wait for someone to help us."

"Or a bunch of Grimm passing by notice us. Just get yourself to safety."

"What is wrong with you?" he chided.

"My house is after collapsing on me and I can't move. I'm done for."

"You're gonna get out of here."

"How?"

"I don't know… but you're just giving up, on your parents, on your friends, on Yang. How can you do that when our friends are risking their own lives..."

He clenched up.

"… don't you want to see any of them again?"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Just hang on. Someone will be around and they'll help me."

"I wish I could be that positive about it."

"Just you wait."

"That's gonna be the worst part."

Jaune sunk back slightly to make himself more comfortable.

"Shame we don't have any beers to pass the time." you joked.

"Don't remind me of that night." Jaune groaned. "The day after was a nightmare."

"First hangover, always a joy."

"First and last. I'm never drinking again, especially if it's with Owen and Ivan."

"Can't say I blame you." you chuckled. "But let's be honest, both of us would take the worst hangover ever over this right now."

"No arguments h…" Jaune perked up before he could finish talking. "I think I hear something coming."

While you listened, Jaune stood up slightly to see what was approaching.

"Hey! Over here we need help!" Jaune shouted. "They're coming."

"(Y/n)!"

"Mom? Dad? Why are you both here?"

Jaune was practically pushed to the ground when your mother rushed over to you, your dad following in suit.

"Hold on (y/n) we're gonna get you out." she said frantically while trying to comfort you.

"I thought you both got out of the city."

"We turned around after you got cut off on your scroll." your dad answered. "We had to leave the car when the streets were too crowded to drive in."

Both your parents grabbed you by the arms and tried to pull you out. Their combined strength wasn't enough and only served to hurt you as debris jabbed into you from all sides.

"Stop! Stop!" you shouted.

"We're gonna have to lift it off him." Jaune stated.

"Oh yeah mom, dad, this is Jaune." you introduced. "He's a friend from Beacon, and the dog is Zwei."

When your dad looked down and saw Zwei he was met with a friendly bark from the small dog.

Your mother ignored everything and began her attempt to lift the debris from you.

"It's no good." you claimed. "Even if all three of you are lifting."

"Word of advice (y/n)…" your dad began, joining in. "Never underestimate a mother when her baby's in trouble."

"Did you have to say it like that?"

"Get over here now and help." your mother barked at Jaune.

"Right away." he complied.

You could feel it. You could have sworn you felt it move just the slightest when all three began lifting. It gave you just the slightest glimmer of hope that you were going to get out. But that slight movement was all you felt. It didn't seem like it was going to budge anymore.

"It's not gonna move anymore."

"Then we're not giving it all we got." your mom claimed. "Both of you, put your backs into it."

"There's not point y…"

"Don't you give me that…" you mom scolded. "… or your grounded."

"Grounded? Really?"

"As long as you're under our roof."

"Then maybe I need to get my own place."

"Not gonna be able to do that unless you get out of here." your father added. "You want to get out of here don't you?"

"Of course I do."

You felt the debris moving again. Like before it was only slight, except this time it wasn't stopping. Were they really going to get you out?

" _If they had one more person maybe they could… No. I am that fourth person."_

Without a second thought you joined in. For one last attempt you tried to push yourself up, using your shoulders to take the weight.

"That's it." your dad encouraged.

"You've carried heavy stuff while you were working right?" Jaune asked.

"Yes." you grunted.

"Then surely you've got some bit of strength in you."

"Listen to your friend." your dad instructed.

It was already starting to hurt, and badly. Even without the rubble jabbing into you, the strain hurt just as much, probably even more. But once you felt the debris budge it was enough to encourage you to put up with it.

"You know what?" Jaune began. "We could go drinking again. You, me, Ivan, Owen and Ren. Another guys night. What do think? It'd be great to have another one. Think about it."

"I am." you responded.

"And we'll all be looking back on this night like it was a bad dream.

"What! You were drinking?" your mom shouted.

"Yeah." you mumbled.

"You are definitely grounded once we've gotten you out." she joked.

It was still moving, maybe not enough to get out, but enough for you to put your hands underneath it to help you out. Even Zwei seemed to join in.

"And don't forget about Yang." she reminded. "Every little moment you two will be together after this, it will be all the better. Imagine the future you two are going to have with each other."

"It's gonna be great."

"It better be." your mom added. "I'm expecting you to make her my daughter in law."

"No pressure." Your dad remarked.

The weight was becoming unbearable, every muscle was aching, even with the rush of adrenaline you were feeling at that moment. But it was moving, enough that you had to let your legs slide forward and get into a kneeling stance if you wanted to keep it up.

" _Must hold on."_

It was working. The debris was at a point where you could slowly get up on your feet, but for how long you didn't know. Even with all four of you it could only be lifted so much and that limit came just as you were able to get on your feet. You weren't standing fully and looked more like you crouching.

"I can't go anymore." you cried, feeling as if you were going to black out from the pain. "It's too much."

"It's fine. It's fine." your dad assured as he slid under slightly to grab your arm. "Take his other hand." he instructed Jaune who copied him.

"I got it."

"It's just a little bit more (y/n) okay? On three!"

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

The force of which you were yanked out from both your dad and Jaune was so fast that it take you a moment to realise you were on the ground and that all three of them had let go and let the rubble crash to the ground. The feeling of all the aching and strain on your body was suddenly joined by your mother wrapping you in a constricting hug that slowly loosened up once she realised she might be hurting you. Your still pumping heart from the rush you felt was beginning to return to it's normal rate. And while you were calming down you watched your dad approach Jaune and thank him for everything.

"Let's get out of here."

Morning finally came after a sleepless night. Vale was now free of any Grimm; you had heard they were all congregating at Beacon from a soldier you spoke to. From that same soldier you also learned where those who were fighting at Beacon were taken to. With that information in hand, you left your parents at the shelter and made your way to that location with Jaune and Zwei the moment the sun rose.

You both arrived at a makeshift hospital set up in the spot where the Grimm had entered from Mountain Glenn months ago. Several medical tents were set up around the place, with medical professionals continually going in an out. You went over to where any students that were unharmed had spent the night. It was almost completely quiet, with the only sound that was noticeable at first being that of those weeping quietly while friends and fellow students consoled them. What made it worse was not being able to spot anyone you knew among the crowd. No sign of Yang, Ivan or any of their respective teammates. Immediately your mind went to the worst possible situation.

"Can you spot anyone?" you asked Jaune. He shook his head. "They're fine. I'm sure of it."

You looked around again. There you spotted two people you recognised, although they weren't who you specifically were looking for.

"Jaune…" you said tapping him on the shoulder. "… over there, Ren and Nora."

"Where's Pyrrha?" he asked, crestfallen.

"Maybe she's in one of the medical tents." you tried to reassure him.

"Y-yeah." he replied weakly. "You're probably right. I better go over to them."

"Yeah. I need to find Yang, or Ivan."

"Maybe Ren and Nora know where they are."

"It's fine. I'll find them. Just go over to them. I'm sure they'll be relieved to see you."

"Then I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

You both parted ways, only for you to stop before you could take a step.

"Hey Jaune…" you began, making him stop. "… thanks. For last night. If you ever need anything you can always ask me."

No more words passed between you both. You walked away quietly and allowed him to re-join his teammates. You took one quick glance back, seeing the exact moment Ren and Nora finally noticed him. Before you went back to your own search you swore you could see Nora crying, assuming it was just tears of joy that their friend was okay.

You decided to begin looking into each individual tent for any familiar face. Once you glanced inside you saw exactly that. In the corner of the tent sitting on a bed alone was Nima, the only occupant apart from two nurses, one of which she was under the scrutiny of. Her head was buried completely in her hands, leaving her unable to notice you approaching.

You asked yourself why her teammates weren't there by her side, with your immediate answer to your question being that the worst had happened.

"Nima?" you asked gently, tapping her in the shoulder. She looked up at you with eyes bloodshot and swollen from what you could safely assume to be unending hours of crying. You didn't notice it at first, but once you got in closer you saw that she was shaking. Seeing her like this left you unable to say anything.

"She's barely spoken all night." the nurse supervising her stated while Nima stared at you silent and despondent. "We were just barely able to get her parents contact information from her. Are you a friend?"

"Yeah." you nodded. "I am. Of her and her teammates. Do you know where they are?"

Nima reacted to your words as if you had just put a knife through her heart. Although she said nothing, her reaction was enough to tell you that the worst had happened. The nurse escorted you away several feet, most likely not to upset Nima any further.

"None of her other teammates made it. The soldier that brought her in said that they found her in the fairgrounds with one of her teammates but as they were flying off a Grimm attacked them and he fell out."

You barely heard the last thing she said. You did everything in your power to stop yourself from breaking down. Your breathing fluctuated from heavy, rapid, sporadic, to a forced calm and relaxed. Tears were attempting to break through, although you managed to hold them back for a short while before they slowly began to trickle down your eyes.

"I'm so sorry." the nurse stated while placing a consoling hand on your shoulder.

In your current state you were unable to ask her if she knew where Yang was, choking up before you could say a word. Instead you opted to walk aside, sitting down on the bed across from Nima. You put a hand to your eyes and began to wipe away your tears, trying to gain at least some composure so you could find Yang.

"He's not dead." a weak voice you immediately recognised as Nima's claimed. "He could still be alive."

You looked at her confused.

"Ivan, he could still be alive." she stated. "He was holding on to a Griffon when he fell out. H-he might not of hit the ground… he's still alive."

You stared blankly at her. Nima shot up and went over to you, both her hands clasping on to your shoulders.

"He's still alive…"

Her voice grew louder.

"I-I know it."

She let go of your shoulders and hastily attempted to walk out, taking hold of your hand to encourage you to join; but you were unyielding. Once she felt your hand leave her grasp she turned around and stared at you, almost devastated.

"We have to go now!" she shouted, grabbing hold of your hand again, this time tugging at it furiously. "Come on."

Her actions didn't go unnoticed by the nurse you had spoken to, who approached you both.

"Is everything okay?" the nurse asked.

"I have to get to the fairgrounds now!" Nima shouted. She attempted to leave again, only this time you didn't let go, instead you were trying to get her to stay. She yanked her hand fiercely from your own and continued to walk out only to be stopped again, this time by the nurse.

"Miss, I have to ask that you stay here; your parents are on their way."

Nima slowly walked back from the nurse before turning around sharply and attempting to run away. The nurse was quick to respond and attempted to stop her.

"Get away from me!" Nima shouted. By now Nima was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Please." the nurse requested. "You're in no condition to be going out there."

Once Nima tried to run off again you managed to run over and stand in front of her, causing her to collide into you while you placed your hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her.

"Nima she's right." you claimed.

"Let go!" she barked, pushing you away.

Once she tried to run away again you attempted to restrain her back.

"Let go of me!" Nima cried, aggressively trying to get out of your grip. With each of her struggles your grip kept loosening. Even as you tried to regain it you knew she'd have no problem getting out of it. Soon her attempts to escape became more hostile, with her hitting and elbowing you.

The nurse eventually aided you in restraining her. This helped, somewhat; Nima was still defiant and put up a good resistance against you both.

"Let me go!" Nima shrieked. "He's still alive!"

"Bring her over to the bed." the nurse instructed.

"(Y/n) please." Nima begged, clearly on the verge of breaking down crying again.

"Try to hold her still." the nurse requested once you brought her over to the bed. From the corner of you eye you spotted the second nurse approaching.

"Nima listen to me. I'll go out there and find him okay? I'll find him."

She stared blankly at you for several seconds, still trembling and crying before she jolted ever so slightly from shock, the source becoming apparent immediately. The second nurse had stuck a syringe in her arm. Upon realising what was going on, you looked went back to reassuring Nima.

"I'll find him I promise."

Over the course of several minutes you repeated the same thing to her while the sedative she was injected with took effect. Slowly her breathing calmed down and the shaking stopped. Once she finally lost consciousness you slowly got off the bed and made sure she was on the bed properly so she wouldn't fall off before you sat back down on the bed across from her.

You felt like you were going to cry again. It was only when you felt Zwei pushing against your leg to get your attention that you forced it back again so you could speak to the nurse once more.

"Just one more thing. I'm also looking for my girlfriend."

You took out your scroll and showed her a picture of Yang.

"Have you seen her?"

For a second you swore you heard a quiet gasp escape her once she saw the picture, making you assume the worst had happened to her.

"Two tents up from this one." she began. "I think I saw her taken there."

The tone she spoke to you in only reaffirmed your worry, which was noticed by her.

"She's alive…"

You were somewhat relieved by this, but again her tone of voice told you that something was wrong.

"… but she's been hurt…"

"How bad?" you interrupted.

"She's going to be okay. It's nothing life threatening." she assured you. "But it's going to be a big change for her."

"Okay." you replied. "I think I should just see for myself."

You thanked the nurse and picked up Zwei before making a beeline to the tent where Yang was supposedly in. Of course this meant you'd have to leave Nima alone, something you didn't want to do, knowing it would feel horrible to wake up after what had just occurred and finding yourself all alone; unless her parents arrived before she did. In any other circumstance you would have stayed, but there was someone else you had to be with.

You didn't stay outside the tent for long, knowing that there was no way you could possibly prepare yourself for whatever happened to the one you love. Even if you were to make any attempt to prepare yourself you knew deep down it would just be an excuse to put off facing the inevitable for as long as you could.

You practically charged into the tent and sure enough she was there and you were right. There was no way you could've been able to prepare yourself for what you saw. The sight of the bloody bandages covering up where her right arm used to be made your heart wrench and left a horrible feeling in your gut.

"Oh god." you whispered tearfully, approaching the side of the bed she was on.

You heard Zwei whimpering in your arms. It was only then that you took notice of the bed across from her. Ruby was lying in it, unconscious and unscathed from what you could see. In the corner you saw Weiss sleeping on a chair. From what it looked like, she had spent most of the night watching over her two teammates. You looked around for their remaining teammate, Blake, but she was nowhere to be found. Zwei began struggling in your arms, an indication that he wanted to be let down. You complied and lowered the small dog to the ground and watched him as he went back and forth between the beds of both his owners, unsure of which of them he should go to.

You looked around and spotted another chair, which you took and set it beside Yang's bed. The sight of your maimed girlfriend was hard to process.

"Who did this to you?"

You put all of your blame on the first and easiest target, yourself, as if it wouldn't have happened if you were there.

" _Don't think like that."_ you reprimanded yourself.

Just the other day you were expecting a completely different night. You imagined that once everything was done and you would be lying in bed with Yang slowly falling asleep on your chest like she did back at the lake house, but you wouldn't. You'd stay up all night if you could. Slowly you'd caress her hair with a finger; she wouldn't mind, at least not from you of all people. Then, every so often, you'd place a loving kiss on her cheek, just a small little gesture to let her know, asleep or not, how grateful you are to be hers.

You gently you took hold of her remaining hand; at least she could wake up to your comfort, even if there was little it could do for her. Again, you felt completely helpless. There wasn't anything you could say to make her feel any better once she woke up. Nothing would change what had happened to her.

 _"What am I gonna say to her?"_

At least you had some time before she woke up to figure that out. If she was already awake once you arrived then there was no doubt you'd choke up whenever you tried to say something. This way the initial shock of seeing her without her arm would at least wear off and you could have some time to compose yourself.

As you sat and watched over your unconscious girlfriend the restless night you had slowly began to creep up on you. Gradually your eyes began to forcefully close themselves. Resistance against it was impossible. There was no escaping the inevitable, your eyelids slowly began to descend and you couldn't find the strength to open them.

 _"Just five minutes. That's all."_

It wasn't a deep sleep but it did feel good. After a terrible night and now an even worse aftermath, this one respite, no matter how brief, was something much needed. However it wasn't long before the silence was broken. It sounded like there was two people speaking. Despite it being quiet and muffled you were able to recognise one of the voices as Weiss; the other sounded like a much older man. But as quick as it was broken the silence returned, encouraging you to remain where you were.

Then there was more talking. Again there was one voice you didn't recognise, another male, although whoever it was sounded much younger than the previous. And the second.

"Yang."


	17. Broken

Barely a second passed from the moment you realised Yang was awake and proceeded to wrap your arms around her; it was instantaneous. Of course, this sudden action left you blind to how Yang reacted to it, after what happened to her this sudden hug might have frightened her. You lingered on the hug for several seconds, you needed it. However, after that initial rush and realizing that Yang wasn't returning the embrace, you let go.

There was complete silence once you faced her. The only other presence was the still unconscious Ruby; no sign of Weiss or the person you swore you just heard Yang talking to, making you question how long you were sleeping for. To you, it felt like just a few minutes.

"Yang…" you lamented. Seeing her despairing face stopped you from talking. You could only imagine what was going through her head after everything that happened to her in such a short time; and who knows what else could have happened? You had already lost two friends, possibly three, but she could have lost more.

You had to say something to her, but it felt impossible, not just because you had no idea what to say. You knew that once you tried to talk to her you would more than likely start choking up and having her see you like that would do no good, not when you had to keep it together for her sake.

Your shaking hand took hold of hers. The shaking stopped once you felt her grip tighten. Tears were now streaming down from her eyes and staining the bed sheet.

There was nothing, no combination of words you could say that would make things any better.

"I'll be right by your side," you stated. For a brief second, while you were looking directly into her eyes, you swore you saw her heart sink. "I'm just glad you're okay."

You regretted that choice of words immediately after you said that. Even without Yang's response.

"Okay?" she responded, a hint of animosity present in her voice. "(Y/n) look at this. What about this is okay?"

"You're alive Yang. Right now, that's what matters."

You risked placing a comforting kiss on her forehead. Her reaction was one of indifference.

"There's just so much after happening. I thought the worst could've happened to you, especially after learning Owen, Deena and… and…"

"And Pyrrha." Yang finished, stopping you from mentioning your best friend and bringing to mind your promise to Nima.

You wrapped Yang in a comforting embrace and let her cry into your chest. Shortly after you followed and for the longest time you remained there, mourning the loss of your friends. Every so often you raised a hand to wipe the tears from your eyes to stop them from falling on her.

The embrace broke once a nurse arrived.

"Her bandages need to be changed." she said.

"Sure." you responded.

She instructed Yang to sit up on the bed before gently unwrapping the covering on her arm.

"Do you need me to help out with it?" you asked.

"No, it's fine." the nurse replied before talking to Yang. "Let me know if I'm hurting you."

Gently the nurse unraveled the bandages around her arm. Once they were all off you were only able to look at where her right arm once was for only a moment before the very sight made it difficult to look at. From what little you saw the bleeding had stopped, save for the odd bit of blood oozing out through some small crevices in the wound.

Both you and Yang remained in uncomfortable silence while the nurse tended to her arm. Every so felt you felt her remaining hand twitch, occasionally squeezing your own hand briefly. Once it was finally over the nurse got up without saying a word.

"Will you have to change her bandages again later?" you asked before she could walk away.

"They'll have to be changed multiple times to keep the area clean." she replied.

"Then next time, could you show me what to do?"

"If you want me to."

"Please."

"I'll remember that when I come back then."

"Thanks."

When you looked at Yang again she had an unsettling, crestfallen look on her face.

"(Y/n) You don't have to…"

"Remember what she said? They'll need to be changed regularly, even after you're out of here. It's better for me to know how to do it properly without hurting you."

She looked at you unnerved.

"You looked away when the nurse was changing them."

"I know I did; I just wasn't ready."

"You can't even bear to look at it." she responded coldly.

"That's not it at all Yang," you claimed. "I promise I won't be like that. I'll be right by your side through all of this, every second of every day."

When the uncomfortable silence returned you once again found yourself struggling to find the something to say. The only thing you could think of was to ask about her unconscious sister. What prevented you from doing so was fear that you might only upset Yang further.

You didn't know Ruby or the rest of Yang's team, as a matter of fact, all that well; both of you had lives outside of your relationship and they were part of hers just like Ivan and work was a part of yours. Of the few interactions you did have with her none of them ever amounted to more than just a brief exchange of words, never a full-blown conversation and most of what you knew about her came from Yang. You knew she cared deeply for her younger sister and was also protective towards her after she told you about something that happened when the two were very little.

You could only imagine what was going through her head. Sure, Ruby looked like she was completely unharmed, but she seemed to be completely unconscious; being completely unresponsive to Zwei seemingly trying to get her attention. Whether or not Yang knew what happened to her was still up in the air.

"Dad." Yang uttered.

After entering was a man with short blond hair that looked somewhat greyed. Along his jawline was a small amount of stubble accompanied by a soul patch. Behind him, you were able to make out another man, Qrow, who stayed a noticeable distance behind him.

You watched him approach slowly and react essentially the same way you did when you saw Yang in her current condition. He all but ignored you, all of his attention focused on his two daughters, going through what you could only assume was a parent's worst nightmare. Yang had told you the basic gist about her childhood and both her and Ruby's respective mothers. You never pushed further on the matter, feeling you might come off as nosy and intrusive. There was no way you could even begin to comprehend what he was going through.

"You must be the boyfriend I've been told about."

For a moment, you didn't comprehend the fact that you were being spoken to.

"Yeah," you responded, sounding almost bewildered. "I'm (y/n)."

"Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Taiyang."

You were reluctant to shake his hand when he extended it to you, mostly due to your corresponding hand still tenderly holding on to Yangs. Reluctantly you let go of her hand to shake it for a moment before automatically going back to holding Yang's hand.

"Have you been here long?" Taiyang asked.

"He's been with me all morning," Yang replied for you.

At first, you were confused. It was roughly six in morning by the time you arrived, and the time you spent with Nima was barely amounted to half an hour. However, once you found out that it was nearly two in the afternoon you were surprised to find out how long you were asleep, considering the fact that it didn't feel like you slept that long. It also led you to question what you missed while you were sleeping and why Yang didn't wake you up.

"I'm sorry to ask this, but could I get a moment alone with the two of them?" he requested.

"Sure," you responded, getting up off your seat.

"Thank you."

"I'll go see if I can get some water for the two of them."

You exited the tent, feeling stiff from the way you had been sitting for the past few hours. After that you plonked yourself onto the ground just out of sight, leaving out an exasperated sigh. You were now more confused about what to do in this situation than ever. It felt like no matter what you said to her, you were only managing to make her more and more frustrated.

"You're looking like crap," Qrow stated, startling you slightly as he joined.

"That tends to happen when your house collapses on top of you and you go an entire night without sleep." you responded.

"I guess this isn't how you imagined meeting Tai for the first time."

You nodded.

"Just be glad your pants were on this time."

" _He's not gonna let me live that down, is he?"_ you thought.

"Seriously though, it's good to see you're alive and well. I can't imagine how she'd react if something happened to you on top of everything else. I might not know you too well, but I know you mean a lot to her."

"Thanks," you replied.

"But there's something I gotta ask you, about the person who did this to her."

"You mean it wasn't a Grimm?"

"It wasn't just Grimm attacking Beacon last night. Some White Fang members were also involved."

A soulless, mindless, monster was one thing. But knowing that it was someone with malicious intent behind it, made it all the more unsettling.

"What do plan on doing about him?" he inquired.

"What do mean?"

"Are you gonna be one of those boyfriends who gets angry and swears revenge on the person that hurt his girl?"

"Of course not," you replied. "As much as I'd want to get back at whoever did this to her; I'd just be signing my death warrant if I went out looking for payback, and what good would that do?"

"Sounds like Yang has good choice in men." he approved. "Nice to know you've got a good head on your shoulders."

" _It's not like there's anything I could do in the first place."_

"Don't beat yourself up over this."

"Huh?"

"I'm guessing you're kicking yourself pretty hard right now, thinking some something along the lines of 'If only I'd been there' or 'I could've stopped this', am I right?"

You nodded.

"You're not gonna do yourself any good thinking like that."

"I know."

"What happened isn't your fault and just because you weren't there to stop it, doesn't mean you can't be her hero. She doesn't need you running off on a quest of vengeance for her, she needs you at her side."

"That's what I promised her."

Several minutes passed in awkward silence as you waited, forcing you to take it upon yourself to keep any conversation going until you could go back to Yang.

"So what about her sister?" you inquired. "Any idea what happened to her? She doesn't look like she's been hurt but she's still unconscious."

"She's fine."

"But what happened to her?"

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"That doesn't sound suspicious," you remarked.

"All you need to worry about is Yang."

Knowing you weren't going to get an answer from him, you dropped the conversation altogether and remembering that you said you would get water for both Yang and Ruby, you decided this was your chance to do so. Once you came back with two bottles of water, you were able to go back into Yang.

After re-entering, a troubled-looking Taiyang met you.

"This isn't going to be easy," he stated. "When you were with her earlier, did you talk about what happened last night?"

You shook your head.

"I didn't think asking her about it would be appropriate," you claimed.

"Did she come off a bit more irritable to you?"

"Now that you mentioned it, yeah."

"I'm not gonna lie to you, there's probably gonna be times where you feel like things might feel like they're too much for you handle, and you might get scared. If you're feeling overwhelmed, don't be afraid to come to me. It's gonna take both of us to help her through this."

"I'll stick by her, no matter what."

This gained you an approving smile.

"You seem like a good kid. I wish we could've met under better circumstances. I've people who would use this as an excuse to ditch the relationship."

"Only because it didn't mean anything to them, that's not the case with me."

"I'm gonna find someone who can tell me how long we can expect them to be kept here. We have a spare bedroom at our home back on Patch, you're more than welcome to take that and stay with us, it'll be much easier than you having to travel back and forth every day, and at least have to worry about them being alone if I have to leave."

"Thanks."

"Just make sure you let your parents know and they're okay with it."

He gestured for you to go over to Yang.

"Go on, she's waiting."

You returned to your previous spot at Yang's' bedside, placing one of the water bottles by Ruby's bed and opening the other one to offer to Yang.

"Are you thirsty?"

Yang didn't say anything, simply taking the water bottle from your hand. She tried to take a drink from it, but couldn't stop her hand from trembling, causing a small amount to spill out.

"I'll do it for you." you said, taking the bottle once again and holding it to her lips briefly before she pushed at your arm to tell you to stop.

"If you need me to…"

"I don't." she asserted.

"Your dad's going to talk to one of the nurses, see how long you and Ruby are gonna be here."

"He already told me."

"I don't think it'll be too long. Your uncle told me there's nothing wrong with your sister…"

"Stop talking. Please."

You sighed quietly. This was your first time seeing her on edge like this, while you were full of uncertainty and growing worry. With her current state, you had no idea what to say that wouldn't do more harm than good. But you had to say something to her.

"Yang... I'm not gonna pretend I know what you're going through right now, because there's no way I can, and right now you probably don't want to talk about it, and no matter how many times I say I'm here for you I know it won't help makes things better. But I promise I will be there for you, to help you through this."

The frightened look she gave you was as terrifying as it was heart-breaking. You had failed.

"No." she choked. "I can't do this."

You were confused about what she was talking about at first, assuming she was expressing fear about the future. But when she spoke again Yang made it very clear what she really meant.

"I don't want this."

"Don't want what?"

"You! Feeding me and cleaning me like you're my caretaker." she stated frantically. "I don't want it and I know you don't want it either."

"Yang I just want to hel…"

"I think… I think you should leave…"

In just those five words, you felt your entire world came crashing down while your heart slowly began to sink.

"… you don't need this."

"Look, I know this is…"

"You're just wasting your time."

"Yang, you're not thinking straight… "

"Stop it!" she exclaimed before she began to quietly sob. "You're only making this harder."

In her voice you could hear there was anger and sadness. It would have been naïve to assume that Yang wouldn't have any emotional outbursts, you were willing to face them head on no matter what. But in reality that was much easier said than done now that you were actually facing it. You said it yourself, you were no good at helping people, and the more you saw that she was struggling to even look at you, the more scared you became.

"Don't do this Yang." you pleaded.

There had to be something you could say to defuse the situation. You just needed the right words, the words you should have said earlier, the words that might have stopped this from happening in the first place. But you couldn't find them, and the best you could say was a single, desperate…

"I love you."

"Just go." she said through clenched teeth, finally unable to face you.

You couldn't do it.

You took one small step back.

" _What are you doing?"_

You took another.

" _Don't."_

Everything she had just said kept repeating in mind, only her words felt much crueller, and just like Yang, you were scared, hurt and angry.

You turned away from her. You weren't going to give her the dignity of seeing how much she had hurt you.

" _You're making a mistake."_

You began to walk away. No matter how much your head was telling you to stay, emotion triumphed.

" _Stop."_

The walking stopped, but you didn't turn around.

"You're right…"

Your heart was pounding.

"… I've got more important things to be doing than fixing this sorry mess."

Yang had hurt you and instead of staying like you should have, emotion trumped reason. She had hurt you, so you wanted to hurt her back.

You resumed walking, not even looking back to see how she reacted. As you walked out, you covered your eyes with a single hand so your tears would be hidden from anyone passing by; the only that could be considered good fortune was that you didn't encounter Taiyang or Qrow, sparing you from having to face them.

One last time your mind begged you one last time not to leave, but you didn't listen, even if there was the smallest chance that she wanted you to stay.

You stood by your decision, and there was nothing you regretted more.

* * *

Warzone was perhaps the best word you could use to describe the fairgrounds when you arrived there. The tantalizing aroma of fried foods, cotton candy, and popcorn that filled the air not twenty-four hours ago was now replaced with the lingering scent of smoke. What was once a place full of laughter, joy set during an event to celebrate unity between cultures in Remnant was now littered with the remains of deactivated or destroyed Atlesian Knights and the ashes of fallen Grimm.

After leaving Yang you decided to go back to Nima, despite how crushed you were. But when you arrived at the tent she was gone, her parents having arrived to take her back to Mistral, and with her gone, there was only one place you could go.

In order to reach the fairgrounds you needed transport, which came in form of a young bullhead pilot. Having heard there were bullheads flying patrol around Beacon to make sure the Grimm congregating there were remaining there. At first you were met with a harsh refusal from him until the promise of payment came up.

"You're on your own from here kid," he stated as you exited the bullhead. "Find your friend and get on to me as soon as possible. I'll pretend I saw you while flying around."

"Thanks." you said sombrely.

As the bullhead flew off you approached the stand nearest to you. Half of it still stood, the other, spread out every which way. No sign of Ivan. Probably wishful thinking to expect to find him first place you looked. Still, you had a whole fairground to look for him in and at least you had some fortune in that all the Grimm had cleared the fairgrounds, however that didn't stop you from taking a gun from one of the deactivated androids.

" _Please just let one thing go right today."_ you thought while going to the next stand. Just like the first one, there was no sign of him, and same with the next one, and the one after that.

It then dawned on you that you were more than likely making things much more difficult for yourself than it should be. Having to check each individual stand would take up too much time, but if you were to get up on one of the stands then you might have a better chance of spotting him or at the very least know where to look.

You moved towards the stand which looked to be the biggest and was still intact. While you were focused on getting there you paid no attention to an obstruction on the ground until you almost tripped over it.

When you looked at what that obstruction was, the mortifying sight of a dead body riddled with bullet holes was what greeted you, and after several seconds of being unable to look away, you realized that the body you were looking at was Deena. You were surprised at how long you were able to look at her mutilated body before a terrible feeling began to creep up in the pit of your stomach.

Feeling like you were about to throw up, you turned away and gagged for several seconds until it became clear that nothing was going to come out.

You decided to get back to the task at hand; the longer it took to find your best friend, the less of a chance there could be of him being alive. If possible you could always retrieve Deena's body once the pilot returned and bring it back, just so her parents could give her a proper burial; you made a mental note to do the same with Owen's body if you came across it. But for now, finding Ivan had to take precedent.

Going back to what you were previously doing, you scaled the stand with relative ease. After making sure the top was stable enough, you were confident enough to stand up and survey the hauntingly beautiful landscape around you. The sun was now setting on what might as well be a newly christened graveyard.

"Ivan!" you shouted while surveying the land around you. Every shattered stall, every toppled over cart, everything that was in your line of sight you scrutinized as carefully as possible, multiple times. "Ivan!"

As far as you knew, your presence was the only one in this dismal scene, you had no reason to worry about screaming your friend's name from the top of your lungs attracting unwanted attention.

"Ivan!"

The third time you shouted there was an obvious hint of hopelessness in your voice. Slowly you were beginning to run out of daylight and the thought of having to remain at the fairgrounds in the dark became more and more unappealing, and the lack of response only increased the fear that your best friend was dead, and thinking about it even more made that seem all the more likely.

What did you have to go on? Nima's desperate insistence that he was alive? She wasn't in the best state of mind, she had to be sedated by the nurses, and denial was a part of the grieving process; there was no idea what she was going through.

But that denial must have obviously seeped through to you.

Jumping down, you attacked the nearest pile of debris in a fit of desperation, hoping that your best friend was buried underneath it. When it became clear he wasn't, you moved on to the next, and the one after that. Each time you recklessly tossed the debris aside, not caring how much your hands got cut in the process.

"You're still alive." you begged, sifting through any debris that looked like it could bury a human beneath it.

"Come on!"

Your voice cracked.

"Please."

You don't know how long you spent frantically searching, only that you felt like you were barely done by the time you started feeling exhausted.

"Damnit!" you shouted, kicking some debris aside in anger before falling to your knees from exhaustion.

The last light of day was slowly fading, just like it always had days before. But from where you were at that moment, that final light was indicative of darker days drawing near and you had to face reality; you'd have to face those coming days alone, without your best friend, without Yang.

Overhead you eyed a flock of birds flying away and wished with every fiber of your being that you were up there flying with them.

With all hopes of finding Ivan dashed, there was nothing left you could do. You knew your best friend; if there was any chance that he heard you calling out for him then surely he would have tried calling out for you, or even firing a shockwave to alert you. After searching every inch of the place without finding his body and remembering Nima's claim that he was hanging on to a Griffon when he fell out as a reason for his possible survival, only reaffirmed your fears that he had died.

Picking yourself up, you made your way back to Deena's body so you could get it ready to be taken with you. Although that begged the question, what were you going to do with her body once you reached Vale? You had no idea of how you were going to get in touch with her parents. By now there was nothing you wanted more than to just be alone and forget about everything.

However, before you reached her you heard voices, two men from the sound of it. Once they came into view you immediately noticed the distinctive Grimm Masks the two were wearing; White Fang. You ducked down behind a stand, hoping they weren't alerted to your presence, your heart beating furiously with fear.

You peeked out from behind the stand. The two Faunus were after noticing Deena's body. One of them, whose exposed arms were covered in Pangolin scales, had both of her weapons and seemed to be trying them out, voicing approval of them to his partner, who appeared to be gathering weapons from the deactivated androids.

You clutched the gun you had tighter, preparing yourself to fire it if necessary, while also cursing at yourself for not contacting the pilot to come pick you up. You didn't want to risk contacting him out of fear they might hear you; that same fear also made you remain in your current spot.

Peeking out at the two again, you watched the same Faunus that had Deena's weapons was now finding twisted delight in kicking her dead body while also taunting about taking her weapons. It took every ounce of strength in your being not to fire wildly at the two out of anger.

But that anger didn't stem solely from how they treated her body.

These were White Fang members, a group that you now knew played a part in the events of last night. Sure, you didn't know how much, but they were guilty nonetheless, and it was one of them that hurt Yang. If it wasn't for them, she would still be with you.

"… maybe our little intruder would like to join you."

Your heart missed a beat.

"Come on out," he demanded. "We know you're here."

You remained in your spot, trying to decide whether or not you should attempt to run away. Since he had Deena's weapons he could easily use the guns to shoot you down. But that made you realize, they were probably unaware that you had a gun on you as well; you could use this to your advantage. All you had to do was fire at them and catch them off their guard while you made a run for it. It wasn't that you had to hit them, although it would be beneficial, all you needed was for them to take cover from the bullets.

You mentally counted to three and instantaneously shot up and ran, blindly unleashing a storm of bullets from your gun at the two faunus.

In the first couple of seconds, you weren't looking at the two, opting instead to make sure the direction you were running in was free from any obstruction that you could trip over, before looking back. At first glance, your plan was working. The pangolin faunus that was by Deena's body wasn't chasing after you, remaining on his spot crouched down, his arms up and covering himself with the scales on them facing you, ensuring they blocked any bullets that might hit him. From where you were his partner wasn't visible.

Then the bullets stopped. Realising that you were out of ammo, you dropped the gun and focused on running away while the pangolin faunus ran after you.

Suddenly you felt a glimmer of hope. You knew your pursuer had just tried to fire at you with the guns in Deena's weapons, but by a huge stroke of luck both were out of ammo.

Then the second faunus appeared right in front of you.

Without enough time to react, you were met with a solid punch across the face. You stopped, but only for a second. You changed direction, only to see that the other faunus had easily caught up to you. He swiped at you with one of Deena's weapons, you attempted to avoid his attack, which only partially worked. The two blades that were attached to the weapon still managed to cut you across the stomach, all your maneuver managed to accomplish was preventing the blades from slicing deeper into you.

Again you stopped, screaming in pain from the attack and being met with a kick from behind, sending you to the ground. The foot violently struck you again, this time to pin you to the ground.

This was it; your final moments. It brought to mind what happened all those years ago with the Boarbatusk and how similar it was to what was now happening. You had done something incredibly reckless, even stupid, after something that had just shattered your world; and you ended up paying the price for your actions. But this time there was a part of you that welcomed your oncoming demise. In less than twenty-four hours you lost your home, you lost friends, including your best friend, who you had grown up with your entire life, and the girl you loved, who had changed your life so much, you lost her. All you had left was your parents, but all the bad things that had happened stopped you from summoning any willpower to go on for their sake.

You were waiting for death to come, but it never did.

An incredible force alongside an almost deafening sound that hurt your ears flew over your body, struck your two attackers and sent them flying forwards until they brutally crashed into a stand, every bone in their body now dislocated.

" _A shockwave."_

You summoned the strength to roll over and face its source and were met by the sight of your best friend. His legs were trembling, clearly on the verge of collapsing. Clutched in one hand was a single gun from his weapon, the other he had just lowered after his attack. In his eyes, you could see a combination of both waning anger and exhaustion. You didn't know why, perhaps it was the several noticeable blood stains or the fact that his whole body was now starting to tremble just like his legs, but from looking at him you could tell he was in great pain.

Yet despite that, as he remained there in his current state staring at you, despite the pain he was in, he managed to smile at you, and through your tears, you managed to do the same.

"Hey bud," he said faintly. "How's it going?"


	18. Moving Forward?

The morning after the dance, the halls of Beacon were significantly more quiet than usual. After the event that had just taken place it was to be expected. Most of, if not all, of the students were up until unholy hours, even after the event had ended. Whether it was a group of friends staying up chatting, a small after party that was going on in one of the rooms, two lovers consummating after a special night, not as likely considering the room situation at the school, or someone had managed to get their hands on some alcoholic beverages and ended up drinking more than they could handle.

For Ivan Dearg and Owen Marron the latter was what they were looking for.

"Someone has to be hungover." Owen remarked as he scanned the students in the hallway.

"It's impossible for someone not to be." Ivan added.

"They'll show up."

The two troublemakers continued their waiting, hoping the right target would pass by soon.

"Too bad your friend isn't here with us, think he might enjoy this." Owen said.

"Definitely. He was my partner in crime before you." Ivan replied.

"He seemed nice enough; a bit quiet though."

"He's normally like that around new people, he gets chattier after a while."

"Seeing how much fun Yang was having with him last night, I'll take your word for it."

The two went back to quietly observing any student that walked by until Owen came to a realization.

"Wait a second." He said with a grin. "I don't remember your friend coming back to the room last night."

"Because you were asleep when we did."

"And he's not here with us right now."

"Because he's gone home."

"Maybe he is. Or maybe he spent the night in someone else's room."

"You know there'd be three others in the room, one of which is her sister."

"Well, it's like I say…"

"Don't jerk off on an empty stomach?"

"No."

"It's not small it's fun sized?"

"No."

"Ride me sideways?"

"Can I finish?"

"In the time I've known you, you've said a lot of dirty and inappropriate things. I'm just trying to guess which one it is."

"Forget it." Owen groaned. "Still, I'm betting we might just see your dear old friend and Yang walk right by here together any minute now."

"He's not here." Ivan protested.

"You sound like someone who's jealous that his best friend spent the night with someone from team RWBY and not him."

"I said Ruby did something cute one time and you take it to mean something else."

"There's also the fact you said you liked short girls."

Ivan gave a beleaguered sigh.

"Dope."

"Speak of the golden-haired devil."

"Good. Maybe she can convince you." Ivan said after seeing the approaching Yang. "Hey Yang, could you please tell Owen here that (Y/n) has been gone since this morning?"

"Oh good we're on the same page." she responded.

"You banging Ivan's friend?" Owen asked.

"Can I talk to somewhere else?" Yang requested. "Away from him."

"Okay." Ivan responded.

"Wait, what about…"

"I just need to talk to him for a minute, then you can get back to whatever you two were doing. "

The two walked several feet away."

"So, did someone have a good time last night?" Ivan asked Yang.

"I think you know the answer to that." she replied.

"Well you definitely made someone's night, I can tell you that."

"That's actually why I wanted to talk to you. His number, what is it?"

"Really?" a confused Ivan asked. "It looked like you were both having a good time together last night, did you really hit it off that well?"

"Are you gonna give me his number or not?"

"Okay one sec." he replied, fishing his scroll out of his pocket.

"Thank you." Yang said while taking down the number.

"Can I ask what you plan on doing?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yang." Ivan stated sternly as she walked away. "Promise me you won't hurt him."

She didn't respond to him, instead giving him an assuring smile and a thumbs up as her word.

Ivan walked back to his impatient teammate, his mind distracted by the thought of what his fellow classmate had in store for his best friend. In turn this made him oblivious to Owen trying to get his attention. It was only when he looked at him he noticed Owen calling his name and pointing to three fourth year students were trying in vain to hide the fact they were nursing hangovers from everyone else.

Forgetting about his previous thought, Ivan snuck up on his unsuspecting victims, pretending to be just another person among the students in the hallway.

Once the opportunity presented itself he overtook the three, extended an arm into the air and let off a shockwave that, while not very powerful, still had the desired effect of being loud enough to irritate the three, their screams loud enough to make everyone in the hallway stop and watch as they fell to ground. Shortly after Owen and Ivan broke into a fit of laughter which became infectious to those around them.

"Asshole." One of the fourth ears cursed at Ivan. However, his words fell on the deaf ears of someone overwhelmed with his own laughter.

* * *

You had leave, that much was certain.

The lake house wasn't a place you normally associated with overly happy memories. Sure, you had good times there, but looking back at them as someone much older, they now felt more something you only enjoyed because you were a kid. It all felt like the same stuff you normally did with your cousins whenever you visited them, only it was in a different place.

Of course, there was one memory that at one point you called it the best weekend of your life.

It was only natural that you were thinking about her. The first couple of days you woke up every morning expecting to see her sleeping right next to you, or at night you imagined her standing in the door frame, the same way she did on the first night of your weekend getaway with her. Or the worst part, facing the very spot where you said those three magic words to her for the first time every day.

If only there was another place for you to go.

With your house destroyed, the lake house was the easiest place for you and your parents to go. The one positive you could find in this situation was that none of your cousins lost their homes, keeping the place from being overcrowded since it was more than likely they too would come to the lake house.

That wasn't to say you and your family were alone. Ivan and his parents, having lost their house, were also staying there.

Despite your injury, you were able to contact the pilot to come pick you up at the fairgrounds; you could only imagine what his thoughts were when he saw the state of both you and your friend. You were both taken to the hospital, which is where both yours and Ivan's parents met up. You explained to your parents what happened at the fairgrounds to them and watched them go back and forth through a whole range of emotions, from worry to relief to anger to pride. Ivan's parents, on the other hand, were, naturally, grateful, especially after seeing the condition he was in.

After your parents, both you and Ivan received some unexpected visitors. The first was the police. You had told the pilot what had happened involving the white fang at the fairgrounds, about how they seemed to be gathering weapons. He reported it in, and two detectives visited you, and Ivan to a lesser extent, for questioning.

The second was one that surprised you both; a news crew. Word about what your little rescue mission got out around the hospital and found it way to some eager news reporters. Shortly after a camera crew arrived to get the full story. You guessed their reasoning behind it was that stories of bravery and heroism would help lift peoples spirits after the tragedy that had occurred, and the story of a young man who risked his life to save his best friend was perfect. You did your best to hide how broken inside you really were from the camera and once it was gone you never felt more relieved until you learned you'd be leaving the hospital.

Neither you or Ivan had escaped unharmed.

You had a deep gash across your stomach, one that completely eclipsed your old scar from years ago. Fortunately, it wasn't anything too damaging, although you did have to get stitches, which were thankfully coming out tomorrow. If you could say anything positive, it would be that your new wound didn't feel as pathetic as your old one.

Ivan was much worse for wear.

He survived falling out of the bullhead thanks to the Griffon he was holding on to taking the bulk of the damage when they both crashed into one of the stands. However, his lower back and one of his legs had taken some damage earlier, leaving him unable to move. His aura had already been worn down over the course of the battle and the rest of the night was spent overexerting what little he had left in order to heal his injuries. It wasn't enough. Even when he was finally able to walk, he could only do so with great pain and his wounds were still open. By the time you arrived he was already attempting to escape until he heard you calling for him, using the last of his aura to take out the two white fang members that were about to kill you. Shortly after saving you he passed out from a combination of pain and exhaustion.

Thankfully he was going to live, but not without some problems. For now, he was confined to a wheelchair. He was capable of standing but doing so caused him great pain; had he not overtaxed his aura to try and heal himself it was possible that he would've permanently lost the use of his legs.

You had no idea how long it would take before he could walk again; he never responded to you when you asked. You couldn't blame him for doing so; all you told him about Yang was that you were no longer together.

You forced yourself out of bed, got dressed, walked out of your room and began the long wait until you could finally go back to sleep, the only time things would get better.

As you stepped out into the hallway, you stopped to allow Ivan roll past you.

"Morning." you greeted him sombrely.

"Morning." He replied, not bothering to stop or even give you a glance.

That was the extent of all your interactions ever since you both left the hospital.

You were making your way into the kitchen once you heard saw Ivan head in there and talk to his father, making you opt to wait in the living room. They were there for several short minutes before they left for Ivan to go to physical therapy. Ivan then proceeded to leave the house, his father following him before stopping briefly to wish you a good morning until finally you were alone, at least until everyone else got up.

You made your way into the kitchen, made yourself a breakfast that consisted of nothing but a slice of toast, and returned to the living room.

It was unbearable.

She was all that was on your mind. Sitting alone, at the very spot you said you loved her, that one moment replaying over and over again in your mind. One thing in particular hurt the most.

" _Don't ever think you're not good enough for me."_

Such a beautiful lie.

Because clearly, she didn't think you were good enough. After she had gone through the worst experience of her life, when you promised you would be there for her, it wasn't enough. She didn't believe you could help her through what she was going.

It made you wonder how someone could both make you feel like you were on top of the world at one point, how they could make you feel so happy, and then leave you feeling completely broken and miserable.

"Why can't she just get out of my head?"

That's why you wanted to get away from the lake house. You were spending your days sitting around, doing nothing. Ivan insisted on spending as much time in physical therapy as he could, usually not returning until sundown and you were intentionally avoiding your parents so you didn't have to talk about Yang. Both knew as much as Ivan did when it came to your situation with Yang. Your dad seemed knew automatically that you just wanted to be left alone, something that couldn't be said about your mom. Whenever she brought up the subject you merely walked away from her, essentially making her name a forbidden word. In fact, she never even learned about the situation between you two until the day you were leaving the hospital; you even had reason to believe that between those days she thought Yang had died, considering how quiet and miserable you were.

It was only the other day when you came to the conclusion that you had to leave. Remembering the time you were in a similar, albeit less extreme, situation after you had to leave combat school, more specifically what happened after it. What helped get you out of the slump you were in was when you took up working at the shop. Having something to do helped keep you distracted and forget about your troubles.

That's what you needed; something to keep your mind off and eventually get over her.

All you needed was to figure out what exactly you should do.

* * *

"And we are officially finished tidying the place up." you proclaimed, making it sound like the menial task you had just undertaken was more gargantuan than it was. With that task out of the way you took a spot on the couch.

"Aww yeah." Yang responded nonchalantly, joining you on the couch, lying down with her head on your lap. "Time to fool around then?"

"As if there's anything else I'd rather be doing. We still got a few hours here; I figure if we leave around five, even half five, we'd still have more than enough time to get back before the last airship."

"Sounds perfect."

The way she smiled, a beautiful combination of relaxed, content and joy, there were no words to describe how much more it was making you love her. That smile was because of you. Something you wanted to see every day.

Taking out your scroll, you snapped a picture of your girlfriend's blissful face.

"We don't have any pictures of this weekend." you claimed.

"I hope you got my good side. Don't wanna look bad in it."

"You always look good, no matter what."

"You really mean that?" she asked, putting on a playfully innocent voice.

"You know I do."

"I wuv you." She said, still putting on the same voice. "Can I get a kiss?"

" _Could I fall in love with her anymore?"_

You slid your hand underneath her head to ease it up until your lips finally connected awkwardly.

"Hang on." She said, pushing herself up into a better position. "Okay continue."

You obliged with her request, placing a kiss square on her lips. Just a simple caress, nothing as deep or passionate as you had been doing all weekend, but it still said 'I love you' nonetheless.

"Know whats gonna suck when we get back?" you began. "Waking up every morning without you next to me. Miss it already."

"You're making it sound like it's the last time it'll ever happen. Could happen again sooner than you think."

"I know; but I'm already after getting used to it and I've already decided it's one of the greatest things ever."

"And what are the other great things?"

"Ninety percent of them involve you if that's what you're wondering. So just think of anything we've done together."

"But I want you to tell me how great I am." she jested.

"I could, but we only have a few hours left here, and it's impossible to put it into words."

"Can I tell you something I really love about you?"

"Go ahead."

"You're the perfect person for cuddling with."

As she said that Yang nestled into you, making herself more comfortable.

"Don't get too comfortable. You don't wanna spend our last few hours here asleep do you?"

"But you're so comfy."

"I'm gonna have to get up soon anyway to make lunch."

"Ohhh, now I have to decide between you and food; tough choice."

"Think this is what living together would be like?" you asked. "Cause if it is then working in that miserable little shop the rest of my life doesn't seem so bad."

"Come on (y/n) it doesn't seem that bad."

"You've seen where I work. Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up knowing you're going to spend hours standing at same spot facing the same sight, doing something so dull, so tedious, something that makes you feel so trapped, and then when it's all over, when you feel like you can relax and do the things you actually enjoy doing, you realise that the next day you'll still have to get up and do it all over again and that's all you'll be doing the rest of your life? "

"That's why you wanted to be a huntsman?"

You nodded.

"You get to decide where you go, what you do, a life of excitement and adventure. But we both know that's impossible."

"(Y/n), you know you don't have to stay there."

"And do what? I'm not skilled in anything and I'm a dropout. Anything I could do wouldn't be anything better than where I am right now."

"Well, what would you like to do?"

"I don't know. Ever since I left combat school and started working at the shop I figured this is all I have, this is all I can get. Anyway, let's just drop it, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Fine. But only if you make me a promise."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that if you really don't like where you are right now, then you'll go out and find something else, something you love, for your own sake. I'll even help you out if you want."

"You'd really do that?"

"Of course I would. I don't want you to be stuck doing something that makes you feel miserable, and don't forget one thing."

"Which is?"

"I'll still love you no matter what you pick."

When you smiled Yang, seeing her opportunity, took out her scroll and snapped a picture of your face like you did earlier.

"There. Now I've got one of you." she smiled.

* * *

It was honestly baffling why you kept all those photos on your scroll. Even more baffling, why you had just spent the good part of an hour sitting out on the dock staring at all those photos. The longer you looked at them, the more difficult it became for you to delete them. This would probably be the last time you'd see her face in any form, but what was the point in doing so? She hurt you, broke your heart, you wanted to forget her; so what was the point in having her face ingrained in your mind?

 _"Just get it over with."_

One by one you selected each photo of her.

 _"Here it goes."_

Your finger hovered over delete.

"Hey." Ivan greeted, making you cease your action. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." You replied, putting away your scroll. "How'd physio go?"

"Same as usual. I can stand up, but it still hurts."

"I'm guessing dinner's ready and you're out here to let me know."

"I always come here after physio, wasn't expecting you to be here."

"Needed some fresh air." you claimed.

You averted your gaze away from your friend and towards the lake. The last time you were sitting here Yang was right next to you, your arm around her while she cuddled into you. It had been done many times while you were together, and you never grew sick of it. Her head resting against you, every time it moved, even just the tiniest bit, her hair would just ever so slightly tickle the side of your cheek, and every so often she'd break to give that spot a quick kiss or you'd place one on her forehead.

 _"Stop thinking about her."_

You buried your face in your hands and left out a miserable groan, forgetting momentarily that you weren't alone. Once you remembered that fact you immediately forced yourself to stop any waterworks.

In your current state it became very easy to ignore your best friend and the fact that he was going through things as well, which you avoided talking to him about. There was no way you could understand what he was going through; dealing with the deaths of two of his teammates, being separated from the only remaining one before either of them could console one another or even say goodbye, and that's to say nothing of what he went through after falling into the fairgrounds.

You wished he was his normal self, before everything went to hell. But it felt like that was more for your own sake than his. In your mind you imagined him providing some much-needed laughter with attempts to jump over the lake in his wheelchair.

It was just a break up, lots of people break up. And Yang was your first love, something that rarely lasts long; the fact that it lasted as long as it did was commendable. You'd find someone else. Like the saying goes, there's plenty of fish in the sea.

But none of them are her.

"Gonna be gone soon." Ivan said, breaking your train of thought.

"To Atlas. My brother asked us live with him." he continued.

"When?"

"Two, three weeks maybe, my brother wants to get his place ready for me."

"What a coincidence. You're telling me this just as I'm about to do the same." you replied.

"Your parents are going somewhere else too?"

"No. Just me. I'm going back to Vale."

"What for?"

"Clean up. They're having trouble getting crews to work in Vale, especially around the area near Beacon, even with huntsmen helping out they think it's too dangerous. So they're looking for anyone who wants to help out to take their place, even offering good money since it's is still considered a danger zone."

"And you want to go there because?"

"Why not? I've gotta find something to do besides moping around the place."

"After all the bad things that happened to us in Vale you want to go back there?"

"It's not permanent." You claimed. "It's just the first step."

"What's the next step?" Ivan questioned.

You didn't reply.

"You said it's just the first step, I assume there's more and you know what they are. What happens next?"

"I don't know!" you snapped. "I don't know what I'm gonna do next, but it'll come to me sooner or later. But right now, I just need to get out of here."

"And there's no other reason you're going to Vale?"

"No." you fired back quickly. "Vale's just the most convenient place for me to go right now."

"Okay then, when do we leave?"

"Probably about a week, the sooner the… wait a minute you just said we, didn't you?"

"I'm not gonna let you go alone." Ivan said. "As much as I'd like to see my brother, I'm not too keen on going to Atlas; you know I can't stand the cold. Besides, there's something in Vale I need to take care of."

"Your parents aren't just gonna let you go."

"I know that; but I doubt your parents will either. Might be difficult but I'm sure we can convince them."

"It's not gonna be cheap finding a place for two people to stay, even with the money I'll be making."

"My parents have money they put away for me to go to Beacon, not much use for it now."

"What about…"

"If you're talking about physio or anything about me being like this…"

He gestured at his entirety.

"… then don't. It doesn't matter where I am as long as I stick to everything I've been doing up until now; that being said I'd much rather be here with a nice view like this, so don't make me regret this."

"You know I'll be gone most of the day."

"What's your point? I'll be spending hours at physio, and it's not like I need someone to take care of me. Besides this place is starting to feel overcrowded."

"Six people Ivan." you scoffed. "You've never been around whenever we've had a family vacation here."

"Oh yeah. Sometimes I forget your mothers' side of the family all breed like rabbits."

This made you chuckle.

"I bet it's after tripling in the last year alone." he continued.

"We've only had one new addition to the family in the last year, I think. Honestly I sometimes lose track of how many people are in my family sometimes."

"Just imagine if all your cousins had to stay here as well."

"I'd probably left by now. The place would way too crowded."

"Especially with all the little kids around."

"All their screaming and crying." you shuddered.

"And then their constantly adoring parents." Ivan said before launching into an impersonation of a doting mother. "Oh, I don't how I'd manage without my little angel. Words can't describe how perfect they are. "

You began snickering.

"No." Ivan claimed. "Your little angel just shit their pants and wiped it all over the wall."

At that you burst out laughing, Ivan following barely a second later.

How great that laughter felt. It could have only lasted just the tiniest fraction of a second and it still would have felt just as great. It had been nothing but misery ever since that day. To have just this one moment of much needed humour was beyond a relief.

"So, you're really going through with this?" Ivan asked once the laughter ceased.

"Yeah." you nodded. "And you really wanna come with me?"

"Times like this no one should be alone."

"Okay then. Better start looking for a place to stay. If we're both looking then hopefully it'll be easier to find somewhere."

"Maybe we should figure out how we're gonna tell our parents about this first."

"It doesn't matter, I'm leaving no matter what." you said with conviction.

"It's only the first step." Ivan whispered to himself.


	19. What Little Pleasures

Mountain Glenn wasn't a pleasant place to be during the day, that went without saying. Staying there during the night was worse. After what was already a tiring day of fighting Grimm, to top it off by sleeping out in an abandoned building while monsters were prowling the streets; Yang knew there were much better ways she could be spending her time. But, as her overly enthusiastic teacher had said earlier, this was the life she chose. She also knew it could be worse. The comforting warmth of the fire, her sister and friends, it wasn't all bad; and even if her two teammates were already falling asleep, her sister too preoccupied with keeping watch, and she couldn't get to sleep, there was still something pleasant on her mind to keep her spirits up.

She had something to look forward to when this was all over. His number was on her scroll, all it would take is one call; heck if there was any reception she would've sent him a message.

"What are you grinning about?" Weiss groaned.

"Thought you were asleep." Yang responded.

"How's anybody supposed to get some sleep out here?" the heiress complained.

"Doesn't seem to be a problem for others." Yang replied while gesturing to their Faunus teammate who was fast asleep with her arms and legs tucked in and her head and neck curled.

"You still haven't answered the question. I never see you smile like that unless your about to fight or they're serving burgers in the cafeteria."

"What can I say? I'm just in a good mood."

"Not just that. I think your cheeks were redder than your sisters cape. You're thinking about someone aren't you?"

"You caught me." Yang responded nonchalantly, not denying her teammates' inquiry .

"Is it that boy you were with at the dance?"

"I got his number before we left."

"And you're gonna ask him out?"

There was a hint of confusion in her voice.

"Well he doesn't have my number so there's no way he can do it. Even if he did, I think he'd be too nervous to ask me out himself."

"It's not that, I just think it's odd. He's not a huntsman in training like us, didn't he say he worked in his parents shop?"

Yang nodded.

"Is there anything wrong with?"

"No. But what you said earlier, how you want the adventure of being a huntress. I would assume your ideal boyfriend would be just as gung-ho and bold as you are. He doesn't really seem to be that type."

"Well he said he wanted to be a huntsman but had to drop out of combat school because he couldn't afford it. Wasn't what I was expecting."

"What do you mean?"

"Ivan always talked about him and all the trouble they used to get up to, he also mentioned that he dropped out. From that I just assumed he was just a lazy troublemaker who gave up easily. Then meeting him in person, I saw someone different."

"But why him?" Weiss questioned. "You're a popular girl, one could easily have her pick of the litter. Boys must be lining up to date you."

"Why not? He's cute, he was a real gentleman to me once he got more comfortable, he's not loud and obnoxious like I thought he would be, I bet he could give me a real good dicking if I needed it…"

"Yang." Weiss snickered. "Don't be so crude."

"Just saying." Yang chuckled.

"Don't you think you might be rushing into this? I know technically you've already had one date. But I thought it was you wanting to have some fun."

Her teammate was right, at least partially. All she wanted from him was just one dance after spending a significant part of the night greeting people and not having a date of her own. But over the course of that one dance something changed. A spark flew, though she didn't know what made it. Was it how trusting he was in letting her take the lead and guide him? How cute she found his initial worry about accidentally stepping on her foot and then in the span of just a few seconds he found himself confident enough to twirl her around? The rush of excitement she felt when he did? She couldn't pinpoint the moment her heart was set aflutter. But it happened and when it did she wanted that one dance to become one more dance, and the rest is history. All she was hoping to get out of him was one dance for a bit of fun; what she got was something better.

"I don't want to wait." Yang stated. "Otherwise the next time I'll see him will be at the Vytal Festival, things could be different by then. I want to see where this takes me."

Then the first part of her teammates previous statement sunk in. Maybe she was rushing into something. After all, she had accomplished what she wanted, she had fun. Could it be that the giddiness of that was just now wearing off?

"But maybe you're right." she shrunk back, crestfallen.

Weiss immediately regretted her words once she saw the look of discouragement on her typically cheerful teammates face.

"Wait…" she said apologetically. "… I didn't mean to discourage you from it. I was just worried you might be making a mistake because you barely know. But I shouldn't have. There's no harm in asking him out on one date. Even if he turns out to be some kind of creep he'd learn the hard way not to mess with you."

"Yeah."

She turned away from her teammate. Again, Weiss made a good point, she barely knew him. Perhaps it was just a brief crush, she'd had them before.

Her mind had changed, she wasn't going to call him.

Yet as she laid there he was still on her mind. While he back in the comfort of his home in Vale she wondered, was he thinking of her?

* * *

A heavy yawn left your mouth as you walked through the ruins of what was once a bustling area of Vale's commercial district; now it was the centre of the clean up operation. In just a couple of minutes the place would be bustling again, this time with hundreds of other people who, like you, had answered the call for help with the promise of being well compensated for their time.

In your mind you rattled off every swear word you knew alongside cursing your current job. You started the day exhausted and angry, having set your alarm to give you at least an hour to get ready. However you were too tired despite getting an early night, so you decided to wait ten more minutes until your second alarm went off, then the third five minutes later, and so on until the last one went off and you realised you only had about half an hour to get ready. Then you got dressed, ignored making yourself breakfast in favour of making your lunch that was a choice between a thermos of soup you would make so fast it became watered down or some bland sandwiches, today you went with the soup.

After that it was a fifteen-minute bus ride followed by a ten-minute walk. In the past a walk like this would have been something to help clear your mind and calm you down. Since you started working clean up that wasn't the case. Once this walk was over you faced another day of back breaking physical labour for hours, a tasteless lunch, then more hours of the same labour. At the end of the day you would be even more exhausted when you came home, where you would then promise yourself to get an early night, which you would, only for you to suddenly not be tired anymore and spend the bulk of the night going back and forth between going to the bathroom, mindless browsing on your scroll and trying to force yourself to go to sleep. Then you'd have to get up before the crack of dawn and repeat the whole thing over again.

Two months ago you made the decision to leave the lake house for this work, two weeks after you started already you began to regret that decision. At least you weren't alone. Even if you spent most of the day separated and a good chunk of the remainder in awkward silence, his presence in your apartment was still welcome.

The one thing that was going to make the day just a little bit more bearable was the promise of four days off at the end of the week.

Despite not paying much attention to your surroundings, you were still able to notice your fellow workers making their way thanks to the hi vis vests you all wore. While that was going on all the swears that were going off in your mind was now coming out under your breath.

"Another bad night?" a friendly voice asked.

It was another one of your fellow workers, the only person among your group who was close to your own age, being just two years older than you. Her hair was ash black and typically kept in a messy bun to avoid it getting in the way while she worked. This left the fringe of her hair pulled back and resulted in her sapphire blue eye being more prominent.

Typically she was sociable with everyone else, but often she would spend the bulk of the working day near you; the fact you were both the youngest was the reason you attributed to this.

"Morning Sable." you greeted.

"You're looking grumpy."

"I'm always grumpy when I'm coming here."

"Could be worse you know."

"Could also be better." You muttered beneath your breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. How are you?"

"Looking forward to Friday when we get our time off."

"Big plans?"

"Well if you didn't leave immediately the other day you would know a bunch of us are going out for drinks that night. Been ages since the last time I had a night out."

"Happy days so?"

"Also having pre-drinks at my place around eight." she said, giving you a light nudge, something you assumed to be unintentional.

"Guess you've got a fun night ahead so."

"Know what would make it even better? If you realised that I'm asking you to come out with us."

"Oh."

"You don't have plans, do you?"

"No."

"Great. The place we're going to is called Be Jay's.

"What?"

"Know where it is?"

"That's on the other side city isn't it?" you groaned.

"Correct." Sable nodded. "Near my place, that's why I suggested it."

"I don't know. I just wanna get some rest."

"Come on, I think we all need this. It'll do us some good."

"I don't wanna leave my friend on his own." you noted

"Bring him along." she suggested. "The more the merrier."

"I'll think about it." you said.

"Promise me you will?" she beamed.

"Promise."

Sable walked ahead of you with a small skip in her step. However, something caught you eye that made you stop. The section of Vale you were in was virtually unrecognizable from what it looked like before. Buildings were completely levelled making the place feel like an open space. You had spent two months walking this very route and going past the spot you were now frozen on. Now that some of the debris had been cleared you couldn't help but notice a sign belonging to the establishment that once stood there.

 _Triskel's_

Your heart clenched up at the sight of it.

"Hey (y/n)!" Sable called out before the feeling in your chest could get worse. "Work is this way."

Now you were thankful. Straight to work and you would be too distracted for it to linger on your mind.

Just a small hiccup in an otherwise dull and uneventful day.

No point thinking about her. Especially not today of all days.

* * *

 _"You're right, I've got more important things to be doing than fixing this sorry mess."_

The last words he spoke to her.

She could still see him standing there, angry, heartbroken, confused why she would do such a thing to him. Then he fired back with those words, every intent to hurt her, when not even twenty-four hours ago he cared about nothing more than reassuring her she had done nothing wrong after the incident at the festival.

Since then she mulled over those words every day while the image of him walking away with his back to her was burned into her mind. She knew what was going through his head at the time; she knew it even if he didn't say a word. She could see the hurt etched on his face. She knew what he felt at that moment.

But what did he feel afterwards? How good did he feel after those words? Did he regret them? Regret leaving? In the seconds that it took for him to turn his back and walk away did some part of him try to tell him to stop? Did he not hear her or did just refuse to when she quietly whimpered out…

 _"Wait. Don't leave me."_

A dull afternoon greeted her after almost another sleepless night.

Yang woke up like she did every other day after everything went to hell, unless the nightmares were bad enough to keep her awake. Everything felt fine, like it did before. She'd wake up feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. In that waking moment Beacon never fell, her fallen friends were still alive, her sister and teammates were still there, and that breakup never happened. But it was just a moment. Seconds after waking up she instinctively went to push away any hair that might get in her eyes. Then reality would sink in yet again. The hand she typically used to push it away was gone.

She took a cursory glance outside the window, the heavens looked like they were threatening to pour open any minute. If anything it was perfect for what she was expecting today to be.

She didn't know how long she remained in bed. All she wanted was to go back to sleep, at least until the next day had come. But no matter how many times she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to do so it never happened; either she'd get too warm underneath the blanket, it wasn't comfortable anymore, or whenever she closed her eyes 'he' would be there.

Accepting the fact that she was now fully awake, Yang reluctantly dragged herself out of bed and got dressed.

"Dad?" she called out after noticing how silence once she came down the stairs. "Dad, are you here?"

No reply, however the silence was broken by the sound of Zwei as he came scampering towards her. She couldn't help but smile at the Corgis excitement at greeting one of his owners.

"Good morning." She said, bending down so she could pet him.

Once again she called out for Taiyang. When she was met with no answer again she almost jumped towards the nearest window. Any worry that she might have experienced in that short time disappeared upon the sight of her father out tending to the garden. It now felt silly that she assumed he left out on one of his errands without telling her.

Not in the mood to get something to eat, Yang settled herself down on the couch and switched on the tv.

 _"… on the next episode of Wyvern Sphere X…"_

Skip.

"… _all this and more when we return to Roadkill: Caught on camera."_

Next.

 _"… After the break, the story of one young man who risked his life to find his friend who was believed to have lost his life fighting that night…"_

A tiny section of the interview was shown and nearly jumped in her spot. Sher had to rewind and pause to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. The first time around she wasn't fast enough. Second time she continually pressed pause to make sure it stopped on the right moment.

Her heart sank immediately and made her wish she was wrong.

This was the first time she saw his face since the breakup; not even giving the pictures of them on her scroll a passing glance. She couldn't bring herself to do so.

Now she was fighting back tears. She sat there, staring blankly at the screen, completely oblivious to her father entering the house.

"Good you're finally awake." he greeted. "I was worried you'd spend the entire day in bed. You have anything to eat yet? I could make you some…"

He stopped in his tracks once his own eyes met with his daughter's tear-filled ones. The reason why was immediately apparent. He looked at the image on the tv with burning disapproval.

"Don't waste your time thinking about that coward." He said while locating the remote on the floor and turning off the television. "He's not worth it."

Taiyang left and entered the kitchen. Once she certain things were clear, Yang picked up the remote, briefly switched the tv back on, set it to record and switched it off again.

He was in the hospital in that shot. Why was he in there? Did he get hurt? What happened to him?

Maybe her dad was right. Maybe she shouldn't make things worse for herself by thinking about him. Not today at least.

* * *

Your new home, a small two-bedroom apartment in a low-rise tower block in the middle of the city. It was the cheapest option for both you and Ivan, for good reason. Heating wasn't the best, the tower maintained with just the bare minimum of effort, rumours of shady activities going on in the surrounding area, emphasis on rumours. Still, it was wheelchair accessible for Ivan, you had a working kitchen, decent tv, the bedrooms had two double beds that were at least comfortable enough to sleep, plus a fold out couch if a third person was staying. One day when you were coming home you discovered a small café which made an incredible hot chocolate; you made it your business to grab one to go whenever work was finished.

Even if you complained about a hundred times, this little apartment you now called home was still a welcoming sight after a day at work.

"Ivan? You home?" you called out.

No response.

On one hand you were relieved he wasn't there. Work left you drained, like most days, so your immediate desire was to just lie down and close your eyes for a couple of minutes. But on the other hand, you didn't like the idea of your wheelchair bound friend out in the city on his own in the rain just as it was starting to rain. Despite his numerous claims that he could take care of himself, even in his current state, and having perhaps the most powerful semblance you'd ever seen, you'd still prefer if he was at home before you and didn't spend longer hours than necessary at physio.

At the very least you could relax a little.

" _Bed or couch?"_ you though. " _Bed is comfier. But the couch closer."_

You took the tiniest of sips from the hot chocolate in your hand, burning the tip of your tongue, before you put it down on the coffee table and threw yourself onto the couch. Immediately your tense muscles relaxed and weary eyes were tempted to close and remain closed.

"Do I have to make dinner tonight?" you groaned. "Maybe the takeaway down the road is finally after reopening."

A yawn escaped your mouth.

"Don't fall asleep now; you won't get any later on."

Friday couldn't come any sooner. A couple days off might not be what you wanted, but time off from all that physical labour was still time off; you might even go out with Sable and everyone else from work, if you were up to it.

"Okay five, ten minutes top." you said closing your eyes.

The only sound was the pitter patter of rain; it was like white noise to you. You laid on the couch in the first moment of bliss you had all day. Oddly enough, once your eyes were closed you were imagining yourself on the very same couch you were currently, with the same rain pouring down and everything, while your mind was flooding with images of the perfect way to spend a night like this. A large pizza box, now empty, was opened up on the coffee table, accompanied by a pair of almost empty drink cans and desert, something like a mini lava cake, or maybe an ice cream brownie slice, whatever deserts the takeout had on its menu. The only thing illuminating the room would be the light from the tv. You were underneath a blanket, or at least you should be. None of it was covering you. Instead the person the person next to you was hogging the blanket all to herself while she snuggled up against you like she did so many times before. Not that it bothered you in the least, you could…

 _"Damnit!"_

When it hit you who you were imagining you shot up from your position, the rush immediately waking you up.

After you had done so well in not thinking about her for the rest of the work day.

You snatched the hot chocolate from the table, hoping the sweet drink would relax you more and stop any bitterness from coming. You took a huge gulp, momentarily forgetting that it was a scalding hot drink you were about to chug, at least that's what you thought. Once it hit your tongue you realised it was significantly cooler than it was before, just the tiniest bit of warmth. Still it tasted just as good as it normally did so you couldn't complain.

Still no sign of Ivan, if you could start chatting with him it could distract you enough from your problems.

You got off the couch and began to look for something, anything. You moved into the kitchen, thinking you could get a start on dinner. Then something caught your attention. A letter on the kitchen table.

A letter. From Mistral.

This was something you had been expecting after you had sent one out to Mistral two weeks ago, although with the way communications were between kingdoms you had no idea how long it would take to reach there, if it even got there at all.

The door opened before you could open it.

"Guess who has dinner sorted out." Ivan proclaimed as he entered, a white square box sitting in his lap.

Your response was to toss the letter to him.

"Who's this from?"

"Well it's from Mistral and we only know one person there, so that narrows it down."

"Nima." he perked up.

"Good job." you applauded sarcastically. "Wanna cookie?"

"No cookies before dinner." Ivan replied as he put the letter aside and brought himself into the kitchen, a proud grin on his face.

"What've you got in the box?"

"Open up and take a look." he suggested.

"I swear if your dick is in that box."

He placed the box on the kitchen table and rolled past you to get plates. You picked up the box and inspected the bottom for a suspected hole. Seeing there was nothing there you returned it to the table and removed the lid, revealing a small sized honey cake.

"What?"

"Was on sale in the bakery."

"You know that means it's probably about to go off."

"It'll have to do tomorrow night as well if we wanna finish it off."

"We're having cake for dinner?"

"Correct."

"Why?"

"Just feels like a day for cake." Ivan replied, putting the plates and cutlery on the table. "Don't you think?"

"But why for dinner?"

"Well, earlier when I was on my way home from physio and I saw it on sale and thought why not? We're living on our own now. We can eat whatever we want for dinner."

"You know what? It means I don't have to cook tonight so let's go for it. Too bad we don't have any ice cream, always nice to have it with cake."

"It'll be just as nice on its own." he stated. "Could you get me a can of cola from the fridge?"

"Really?"

"What?"

"It's just an odd thing to have with cake, doesn't go with it." you replied while retrieving his drink "Need something milky."

"You enjoy it your way, I'll enjoy it my way."

Giving the cup in your hand a cursory shake to check its contents, almost empty but not enough to warrant you getting another to go with the meal, and took a seat while Ivan got to cutting out a quarter of the cake for you both. However any interest you had in your friends idea quickly began to wane upon closer inspection of your piece.

"What's wrong?"

"You were right about this thing going off." You replied while prodding the dry, almost hard dessert.

"I mean, it's probably just…"

"It's almost rock hard."

"It's probably still edible."

"If I see you eat it and enjoy it then I'll admit I'm wrong." you dared

"Challenge accepted."

With a bold grin he removed a decent sized chunk from his piece and stuffed it into his mouth. A small 'crunch', followed by his grin disappearing into a flat expression, was the first sign you were right. You looked at him with goading eyes while he appeared like he was struggling to chew his food before forcing himself to swallow.

"Shit."

"Told ya." you said smugly. "I'm not really in the mood to make anything so our only option is instant noodles?"

"No." Ivan refused. "I had my mind set on cake for dinner for the next few days so I'm sticking with it."

"Alright then. I'll suck it up with you."

You removed a small piece from your portion and gave it a taste. It definitely wasn't fresh, but not gone off.

"Okay it's not entirely inedible." you claimed. "Tell you what, I'll run down to the corner store get some ice cream, then if we heat the cake up we just might be able to salvage this."

"I'd probably wreck some ice cream right now." Ivan said. "Like, if ice cream was a person I would…"

"Take it easy there." you responded. "It's ice cream, not K-Y jelly."

Retrieving your jacket and ran out of the apartment straight to the stairs knowing it would be faster than taking the elevator.

The rain had eased up from earlier, only a light drizzle, although you still felt it would start pouring heavily again. The store might have been a five-minute walk from the apartment at most, but that threat of rain made you walk at a faster pace than normal.

Once you entered the store you were met with an uncomfortable heat. A decent number of customers were scattered around in silence, the ambience being dominated by music on the radio, broken occasionally by the sound of the cash register. Locating the freezer in the back, you almost dashed through the nearly crowded store and retrieved the first tub of the frozen treat you saw. Noticing the small queue at the register, you decided to browse the other goods on sale, hoping to find something palatable to go along with your lunch tomorrow. Even just the smallest packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate would improve what would otherwise be another lunch of bland sandwiches or watered-down soup.

Settling on getting the bar, you joined the queue. At the front of the queue were two kids, probably no older than twelve, and once you heard them talking to the cashier you immediately felt sympathy for the poor man.

It was something you were all too familiar with. The kids were badgering him with the same question.

"How much are dem?" they would ask. Once he replied they would immediately point to another product and ask they same question and the cycle would repeat, even going back to the same product. No matter how annoying it got, the shopkeeper would have to hold it in and not erupt at the two. You had experienced this more than once, sometimes with the same kids; you could recall one time where it went on for nearly ten minutes. Thank goodness there wasn't anyone else in the shop at the time.

Hearing this again brought back all those memories and the feeling of irritation from not being able to start make up their mind while shouting obscenities at them. To spare yourself further irritation you decided to drown the two out by focusing on the music playing on the radio.

 _… Cause I can't handle any more_

 _Of these_

 _Useless memories all rushing through my head_

 _Of how we used to pass the time_

 _The feeling of your lips on mine_

 _And those words I wish were left unsaid…_

 _"Seriously?"_

Of course, she's back in your head again, bringing with her all the memories of when you were living every hokey love song you had ever heard with her.

Those two kids were still at the front of the line, and you decided listening to them was better than thinking about her. Of course, this was pointless. Remembering something annoying was certainly better than remembering Yang and hurting yourself every second she was on your mind. She was never going to leave, never going to stop reminding you of your time together, or stop you from thinking about where you could have been right now.

* * *

He really did get hurt.

Not just that, he had nearly gotten himself killed; and all of it happened not long after he left her.

The last thing she needed was another reason to regret what she had said that day. It didn't even register in her mind that another person she knew, who was assumed dead, had survived. All she could think of was how it would have never happened if she hadn't pushed him away. He nearly died because of her.

Why was she doing this to herself?

Nothing good had come from spending the better part of an hour staring red eyed at the image of him at the hospital. If only she had listened to her father's suggestion earlier. But she just dismissed it, knowing what Taiyang thought about him. In his mind the sooner she forgot about him the better.

It was fortunate he remained in the kitchen this whole time, she didn't know how he'd react if he walked in and saw her in this state. She was lucky enough to keep it together all this time, but that wasn't guaranteed for much longer.

"Yang…"

The Tv was immediately switched off once she heard his voice.

"… you still in there?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

There was virtually no time for her regain her composure when she replied, resulting in her almost choking in her response.

Maybe he didn't notice.

"Are you okay?"

He did.

"I'm fine." she lied. "I was just… falling asleep."

"Well don't go dozing off again, I need you to come in here."

"Okay. Just give me a minute."

She couldn't go into him like this; not while she was teary eyed and ready to break down any second. Already her eyes had dark circles from not getting enough sleep, it had been like that for the last couple of weeks. Now in addition to that they were red from over an hour quietly crying to herself so her father wouldn't worry about her. More importantly she didn't want him to see her so distraught over someone he so adamantly despised.

Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, the former huntress in training wanted nothing more than for the day to be over.

She closed her eyes, allowing the pain from crying to subside. Then she took a several deep breaths until her beating heart slowed down to normal and the lump in her throat went away.

 _"Okay; I should be able to go in. Just see what he wants, then go to bed."_

Spending the last hour caught up in her own sorrows, Yang remained oblivious to everything going on around her. If she did, she would have noticed kitchen lights being dimmed, or at least caught the scent of baked goods drifting in to the sitting room. When she entered, nothing could have prepared her for what she was met with.

"Surprise." Taiyang greeted, smiling proudly at her. In his hands he was holding a small two layered cake. Joining the two layers was a slathering of yellow frosting while the top of the cake was glazed with the same coloured icing. Decorating the cake was a simple 'Happy Birthday' written rather shoddily in purple icing alongside a single candle.

"Today's your special day."

The one thing she tried to avoid thinking about all day. The very reason she wanted the day to just end.

She didn't want to think about how this day could have been. How she could have been surrounded by all her friends and her boyfriend. She knew how she would have wanted it to go, no matter where they were celebrating. There would be music playing, high, energetic, making the whole place lively. Then it would just stop and change into something much slower. She would lead him out by hand and in each other's arms they would sway harmoniously to the melody of the music, locked in the very thing that helped bring them together in the first place.

What made this thought worse was that out of everyone, he could have been with her right now. If that horrible moment had gone differently, he would be standing next to her dad right now.

At the very least she knew he wasn't driving himself crazy trying to find her the perfect gift.

"I know it's not much, and that there's probably a hundred other ways you'd rather be spending today. But you still deserve a little something."

She was hoping to keep it together, but again she found herself crying. With trembling lips she genuinely smiled. Her whole life had been in shambles since Beacon fell. All the nightmares, sleepless nights, hours spent being completely heartbroken and alone. This one simple gesture that reminded her she was still loved, in the worst of times, it was too much.

She practically lunged forward so she could embrace him. This sudden action caught Taiyang off guard, but he was quick to return the embrace while his daughter sobbed into his chest.

"Thank you." she squeaked out.

"Happy birthday Yang."


	20. Healing

"So, you decided if you're coming out with us Friday night?" Sable asked.

"I haven't really thought about it, no." you replied. "You seem to be really insistent on me joining you."

"Cause it'll be fun. Plus, I'd like to know someone close to my own age will be there."

"Even though I've been a grouch pretty much every day since I started here? Alcohol and pissy attitudes don't mix."

"You're not that bad. You're just not a morning person."

"Especially if I'm gonna be hungover." you responded, remembering the last time you consumed alcohol. Of course this led to you thinking about Beacon, and thinking about Beacon inevitably led you to think about 'her' again. Here she was, making things miserable yet again. It was bad enough you had to face the triskels sign again this morning and until it was removed you would probably have to see it every day for the foreseeable future.

It was her birthday yesterday. Every time she crept into your mind you imagined how you could have been spending the day with her. At least you wouldn't have to go through the hassle of trying to find the perfect gift for her. You never were good at picking out gifts for others. Although now that the thought of getting her the perfect gift was on your mind you found yourself imagining something else; her reaction to it.

Even though it was all in your head, the image of it was so clear it felt like she was right there in front of you. Her lilac eyes widening along with her smile. Then she'd jump straight into your arms, wrapping you the biggest, bone crushing hug you could imagine.

You missed her hugs.

You had to look away from Sable, there was no way you would let her, or anyone else around, see you while Yang was on your mind. Your heart clenched, a lump formed in your throat.

"You okay?" Sable inquired.

"I'm…"

You almost choked on your words.

"… I think I'm after inhaling some dust from the rubble." you blurted out, to her confusion.

"(Y/n), we're not near any rubble." Sable responded. "and I've had enough boyfriends to know when a guy doesn't want to talk because something's upsetting them."

Suddenly she had your full attention. Sable was a chatty person, so much that a notable number of interactions involved her just talking away with you occasionally providing some input; you liked it that way. You were never really in the mood to talk, or listen if you were being honest. But she had just said boyfriends, more importantly she had gone through what you were currently going through, some common ground.

" _No, forget it."_

Who knew what the context of those breakups were? As far as you knew they all could have ended on good terms, Sable could have even been the one to do the breaking up, and from what little you did know of her it was a safe bet that none of those breakups happened like your own.

"I get it if you don't want to talk about what's troubling you." Sable said, brining you out of your thoughts. In her hands she was holding a brownie, which she proceeded to break in half and offer you a piece. "At least take this. Something sweet usually helps me feel better, even if it's just a little bit."

"Oh. Thanks." You said vacantly before accepting her offer. You gave it a small test bite and then immediately stuffed the entire thing into your mouth.

"I'm guessing you like it?"

You nodded your head and swallowed the brownie before you replied to her.

"It's nice."

"Made it myself. Last boyfriend I had showed me how to make them, he was big into weed."

You froze up for a moment, gaining a quick chuckle from Sable.

"Don't worry there's none in it." she assured you.

"Too bad." you responded once you relaxed again. "I could probably use some, it'd make me less of a grump."

"Well if you're hoping to get some from me, I'm afraid you're shit out of luck. Haven't had any since the breakup and he was the one who knew where to get it."

"Then I guess I'll just have to resort to more junk food then." you joked.

"Better choice in my opinion."

"I guess it would be cheaper as well." you added.

"Know what else helps me feel better?" she asked.

"What?"

"Going out on the town and finding someone to spend the rest of the night with their face between my legs."

"Oh god." you snickered.

"Well it's true. It helps you get to sleep, it makes your brain release the chemicals that improve your mood."

"Oh I'm not debating that."

"So, you're familiar with it?"

Suddenly things felt a little uncomfortable. Not the topic itself, but your own inexperience made you feel embarrassed. Maybe there was a way you could drop the subject.

"When you say 'it', do you mean in general or just the whole face between legs thing?" you asked.

"In general."

"Oh yeah." you lied. "I'm familiar enough with the old lust and thrust."

"Good." Sable chuckled.

 _"Okay you lied that you're not a virgin, no big deal. It's not like the two of us are gonna be rearranging guts. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."_

* * *

There was no way he would have stayed with her.

She had to tell herself that. She had to believe it. If she did then it meant she could justify her actions that day to herself.

'It's not your fault.'

She knew that's what others would say to comfort her. It's what both her father and her uncle told her in the past whenever she asked them about her birth mother. They told her the same thing when 'he' left. Of course, that was wrong. For the first time she could say with absolute certainty that it was her fault.

So now she had to find reasons to justify it to herself.

She lost count of all the time she spent looking at herself in the mirror, looking at where her arm used to be. She looked horrible without it and he couldn't stand to look at her like this. It was only a matter of time. He was disgusted the first time he saw her unbandaged stump still seeping the odd bit of blood; he may have asked the nurse to show him how to clean her wound, but there was no way he would have lasted.

Deep down she knew that wasn't true. He had given her no reason to believe he would ever do such a thing. But every second she lingered on the sight of her with just the one arm, she had to question why anybody would want to be with her.

Yang wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was considered a very attractive person, especially by boys her own age. On more than one occasion she had noticed fellow classmates taking a not so subtle glance at her more developed features. She couldn't help but wonder if they'd look at her like that now. If having just one arm wasn't off putting enough, the emotional baggage that came with losing said arm would be the final nail in the coffin.

She imagined what it would have been like if she had tried to make love with him to get him on her side, like she did at the Vytal Festival. The very sight of her would make him throw up.

 _"Keep telling yourself that."_ she told herself. The shallower she could make their relationship sound, the less it hurt.

She moved herself downstairs, received her daily greeting from Zwei, greeted him back, and took her usual spot on the sofa. She spotted the remote but struggled to take it. She knew what she would put on. The news she recorded yesterday; she was holding on to it. She wanted anything that would let her see his face. But at the same time she didn't want to see it. She knew what would happen once she saw him. All those horrible feelings of regret, anger, misery, and every other bad thing a person could experience would hit her again like she was experiencing it for the first time. But she still felt compelled to do it, to hurt herself all over again.

"Yang." her father greeted.

"Morning dad."

"Morning? It's almost three in the afternoon."

"Then good afternoon."

He gave her a concerned look and proceeded to take a seat next to her.

"Are you getting enough sleep? he asked.

Yang didn't reply to him, making it clear that she didn't want to talk. She attempted to get up and walk away, only for her father to place a gentle hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to remain.

"You know this isn't good for you." he stated while taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah." the broken brawler replied quietly enough to be a whisper.

"Is your arm hurting you again? We can get you pain killers again if you need them."

"No."

"Then it's something on your mind."

No reply.

"You know you don't have to go through this alone. But I can't start helping you until you talk to me."

Her mouth opened, ready to speak, but nothing came out. Where would she even begin? The breakup? The nightmares? The feelings of being weak and helpless? Insecurities? It wasn't just one thing. Even if she did talk they wouldn't go away, at least not immediately. They'd still be there the next day and she didn't want that, she wanted them all gone now.

She spoke no words, opting instead to simply get up and walk away.

* * *

The tower block came into your field of vision, making you pick up your pace for the remainder distance; the faster you reached home, the faster you could lie down. At this point it wasn't even because you were tired, it had just become routine after you came home from work simply because it felt good.

It would be even better if Yang was there when you got home.

Yet again she was back in your head to ruin your day.

 _"This wouldn't be happening if you had just stayed with her."_

 _"You're such a coward. Is it any surprise you were dumped."_

 _"Not like you ever deserved to be with her."_

 _"If you weren't such a wimp you could've saved her."_

 _"Doesn't matter, she would've dumped someone like you sooner or later."_

 _"You're so pathetic."_

 _"No you did everything right."_

 _"If anyone's to blame it's her."_

 _"You did everything right and she still didn't want you around."_

 _"Fine her mistake."_

 _"That's just how she is."_

 _"Suddenly her mom leaving is making sense."_

So now your mind was caught in a back and forth between hating yourself and hating Yang. You needed something to get you to ignore it.

Once you entered the tower block you immediately made a dash to the one working elevator; just as the doors closed and it started going up. Letting out a frustrated sigh you opted to take the stairs instead of waiting, your place was only on the fifth floor, not a long walk up. If you gave it a run you might even reach your floor before the elevator.

You were in full on regret by the time you reached the fifth floor. You were stupid enough to trip not once, but twice on the way up. Adding to that, you were also out of breath from running.

"Idiot." you cursed yourself.

You stopped for several seconds to catch your breath.

The sound of someone knocking on a door caught your attention, someone knocking on your door.

Standing in front of your door was a girl in a purple fleece jacket, short light brown hair. At her side was a decent sized red suitcase. Before she could knock on the door again you called out to her.

"Can I help you with something?"

Then she turned around and once your eyes locked with her weary purple eyes surrounded by dark circles from what was most likely a lack of sleep, you realised this was someone you knew.

"Nima?"

"(Y/n/)." she smiled while giving you a friendly embrace.

"I can't believe you're here."

"Didn't you get my letter?"

"The letter. We got it yesterday, and we forgot to open it."

"You only got it yesterday? I sent it out almost immediately after I read the one you sent me."

"Doesn't matter, I'm glad to see you again."

"Me too. It's so good to see a friendly face again. But how did you know my address?"

"Yeah. When I said 'we' earlier."

You placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This might be a overwhelming."

"What is?"

The letter you sent out to her wasn't written by you, all you did was post it on your way to work. It was only appropriate that Ivan was the one to write it. You knew he had sent her an invitation to stay with you both, it was something you encouraged when he brought up the idea. It was only after you sent it out that Ivan told you he had written it in your name, leaving out his survival.

"It's something you need to see." you responded, opening the door and escorting her in. You were unsure whether or not Ivan was at home, but you figured it would be best for her to see for herself instead of you simply telling her; though there was the off chance that she could spot some of his stuff lying around and piece it together.

"We have a guest!" you called out.

There was silence for several seconds, followed by the sound of your friend wheeling himself out. Once he came into view a small gasp escaped Nima.

"What do you mean guest? We don't get any…"

The two locked eyes in disbelief while you stood there quietly waiting for one of them to talk.

"Oh god." was all Nima, wide eyed and trembling, could get out in one brittle voice.

You remembered the state she was in last time you saw her, begging you to believe that he had survived. She was unfortunate enough to go through it alone. True she had her parents, but they weren't there during the incident, they weren't directly affected by it, they didn't witness loved ones die firsthand, they didn't have their lives fall apart.

"Hi Nima." Ivan greeted in an awkward attempt to be nonchalant.

Nima didn't respond to him. She took a hesitant step forward. If you had to guess she was still full of disbelief, like if she got closer to him it would be revealed that this was just some cruel joke.

After nearly an entire minute more of prolonged silence she finally got enough courage to walk up to him.

"Is that really you?" she asked, her voice wavering while she bent down so she could place a hand on his cheek. Once it made contact and confirmed that this was real the tears finally started, not just from her.

"In the flesh." Ivan replied weakly. "Sorry I didn't let you know sooner."

He attempted to stand up from his chair, but it was apparent that this one sudden movement was too much for him to handle. Even though your view of him was mostly obscured by Nima, you could still see one of his arms trembling in pain. Nima was quick to pick up on this and encouraged him to sit back down. Then gentle arms wrapped around him.

"You did survive!" she cried.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to keep me down." he sniffed, returning the embrace.

How long had they dreamt about a moment like this? For one it may have been just a dream, a fantasy to avoid the cruel reality of being the only one of her friends that had survived. For the other it was inevitable, no matter what, he would make sure they would see each other again. In a single moment of tears, two souls devastated by tragedy, could finally begin healing.

Finally getting to bed early resulted in a proper night's sleep. Not even Ivan and Nima happily chatting away, which you could hear, didn't bother you. In fact it was like white noise to you; their noisy conversation was certainly better than listening to the dull ambience outside. Some positivity was a much welcome presence.

Still, that didn't stop you from waking up with your usual attitude. Spending the day with your two friends was infinitely better than going work.

You tiptoed out from your room and into the kitchen, careful not to wake up your sleeping guest. Immediately you went for the kettle and to prepare some soup for your lunch. Despite the early night you wound up remaining in bed for a while after you woke up since it felt so comfortable; so naturally you paid the price by having little time to prepare yourself something even remotely desirable for your lunch, and no time to make yourself breakfast, like most mornings.

On the kitchen table were the oyster pail containers from lasts nights takeout. You inspected the three of them hoping to find any edible remainders inside; nothing. But as luck would have it, ironically, a single fortune cookie remained. Not ideal, but the other night you had a rather unpleasant cake for dinner, so a single cookie for breakfast was something you could make do with.

Almost instantaneously the morsel of food disappeared into your mouth. Nothing you didn't expect. Hopefully it would keep you going until it was time for lunch.

Once the cookie was gone you then remembered the little strip of paper that came with it.

 _The road to happiness begins with a new love_

"Really?" you groaned loudly.

"Is someone there?" Nima shot up.

"Shit." you said beneath your breath. "Didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine." she assured you while getting up. "I never really get any sleep well the first night in a new place."

"Look, if you don't like the fold out couch, you're more than welcome to take my room, the bed is much comfier." you offered.

"I told you last night it's fine, this is your place."

"And you're our guest."

"I'm fine like this, honestly."

"Offer is still on the table at any time. Even if you just wanna go in now for an hour or two before Ivan gets up."

"There's no point, I'm pretty much up now. At least I know I'll definitely be able get to sleep later tonight."

"Well if you're still feeling tired I normally put extra water in the kettle if you want to use it for tea or coffee."

"That actually sounds good right now."

"So, you and Ivan got any plans for today?" you asked while retrieving a clean mug from the pantry.

"Outside of going with him to physical therapy, not really. I was thinking we might go somewhere for breakfast beforehand though."

"If you want suggestion I'd recommend a place called Desmond's, just down the road from here and on the second right."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Wish I could join you both."

"Hang in there, the weekend is only a couple more days away. Ivan says he has plans for it."

"Did he say what?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing; only that he wants to do something while you're off."

"Something else to look forward to then." you whispered to yourself.

Your exchange came to a stop at the sound of the kettle finally coming to a boil. You haphazardly made your soup and readied yourself to bolt out the door.

"Before you go." she halted you.

Instantaneously you found yourself caught in her embrace.

"I never got a chance to give you this last night."

Her voice almost cracked.

"Thank you so much."

Now things made sense. With this realization you returned the embrace and pulled her in closer, her head burying in your neck. A second later you felt her grateful tears.

For a single moment a world which had become so crazy, so confusing, had some sense of normalcy return. It might not have been Yang's embrace you were in, but after the breakup anything even remotely close to it was welcome.

"You don't have to thank me for anything." you assured her. "You were right."

* * *

He had left around two hours ago by the time she woke up. Evidently, she was more tired than she initially thought; even coffee which she had earlier claimed would wake her up did nothing, although she had only gotten through half a cup before going back to sleep.

There was a lot for her to process. In just one night she had bore witness to the deaths of three people she loved, then being an inconsolable wreck afterwards. She couldn't remember much after that, only hours upon hours of crying until a single familiar face showed up, followed by her desperate pleas for him to come with her, believing that one of her teammates had survived. Then everything went black and when she finally came through, she was no longer in Vale. She had woke up in her room back at Mistral, greeted by both her parents.

Since then she had spent many nights crying herself to sleep, reliving the nightmare over and over. It didn't take long for her to give up on the idea that Ivan might have survived, only a week. She felt stupid for even believing it in the first place and having her outburst.

Then 'his' letter arrived.

"Good you're up." Ivan greeted.

Immediately Nima shot up from her bed to offer her assistance.

"I'm fine." he declined, rolling past her.

For several seconds he ignored her, staring blankly, at least that's what she thought, at the gun displayed on the wall.

"Well I was thinking that maybe we could go out somewhere for breakfast before you're off to physio. (Y/n) told me a place we should try. What do you think?"

"Sure." he replied absent minded.

"Speaking of physio, I know you said that you spend hours there everyday, but maybe just today at least you could cut it down a bit. I know you want to get out of that wheelchair as soon as possible, but pushing yourself too hard isn't going to do you any good."

"Okay."

Again his response was absent minded.

"Actually…" he began. "… since last night I was kind of thinking the same thing. At least for a few days."

"That's good." she smiled. "Maybe we could go for a walk around the city when you're done."

"There's something I have to do."

"Sure, whatever you want." she obliged. "What is it you need to do?"

"We're going to Patch."

* * *

 **Got an announcement. For anyone interested, I have a rabbit account where I'm hosting movie nights where I stream some Godzilla movies in celebration of the new one, usually on Friday nights. Next stream is tomorrow night 11pm Irish Standard Time, but there will be a preshow before free to join my group (link below), it's open to anyone.**

.it/s/bsrk6o


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